Witness
by redsandman99
Summary: A fateful night in the woods leaves Seth barely escaping with his life and Dean in a mental institution. Ten years later, Dean hasn't forgotten who helped put him there and wants revenge.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This was spawned during a conversation with Max on tumblr and now I've gotten around to starting it. Dark stuff going to be going on here so strap in folks. This one will get messy.

* * *

Seth leaned back in his chair and tried not to stare at the clock. The last day of school had been dragging by so slowly and now that they were in the final ten minutes it felt like time had stopped. Mr. Long had let them all just visit but given the fact that none of his friends were in the class, the decision hadn't benefited Seth in the very least. So he had tried to pass the time by absently draw in his notebook while occasionally glancing around at his classmates. They had moved the desks all around so they could sit where they wanted. Summer Rae was the one who kept getting his attention though not for any actual good reason. She was just being obnoxiously loud and flirting so shamelessly with Johnny Curtis despite the fact that he was dating Layla. That fact wasn't stopping him from flirting back and while Summer's flunkies Charlotte and Sasha thought it was hilarious, Seth could only cringe. They were just so gross that he couldn't stand it. He looked back down at his notebook. The page he had open was covered in doodles but he would be damned if he even knew what any of them were. He was a terrible artist. His best friend Cody was the one who had the artistic talent. He had tried to help Seth develop some of his own but that had failed at an epic level Cody was forced to give up.

He turned his head to the window, trying his best to keep his gaze on the cars going down the street as opposed to the clock. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that he wasn't going as completely unnoticed as he thought. Dean Ambrose was watching him again. He tried to mask the fact that he had even noticed. Dean was not only the resident loner but a complete lunatic as well. On the good days (much like today) he was quiet save whatever it was he mumbled to himself. On the bad days...well there were a lot of stories about what happened on the bad days. And while a lot of them were surely exaggerated, Seth knew there had to be some truth in them somewhere. And the kernel of truth in those stories made Seth more than a little nervous whenever he caught the dirty blond hair boy looking at him. He didn't know what always had his attention anyway. It wasn't like they ever really had much to do with each other before. Just a few shared classes since freshman year. There was that one time they got paired up to be lab partners in biology but Dean had refused to even look at him then. Not like now, where he was just fucking staring and rubbing his right hand across his left shoulder. His fingers drummed against it all the while. Pinky, ring, middle, index. Pinky, ring, middle, index. Over and over again while his eyes bore right through Seth. Seth was starting to think he knew he had been caught and was just amping up the intensity of his stare just to scare him. And it was most definitely working.

The bell rang and Seth let out a loud sigh of relief. He gathered up his stuff and quickly shoved it in his bag. Everyone made a mad dash for the door, eager to get out and start their summer vacation as soon as possible. Seth slipped in between Randy Orton and John Cena, making it out of the door and finally breaking the weight of Dean's stare. He let out another sigh of relief and started heading for his locker. Normally he would be meeting up with Cody but Cody's parents had already been looking to leave for their annual family vacation so he had missed the last three days of school entirely. Seth wished he would be back already. Sure he had other friends but Cody was the one he was closest to. They had been friends since they were five and were so very rarely separated that Seth never knew what to do with himself when it did happen.

He got the rest of his stuff from his locker and left the building. His mother had said his dad was going to pick him up but the old pickup truck was nowhere in sight. Not surprising. His father was famous for doing shit like this. It was a huge point of contention between his parents. Who knew where his dad actually was. Maybe he was at a bar or maybe he stayed at work to bang his secretary again. Seth didn't even want to know.

"Seth!"

Seth looked up to see it was Phil yelling for him. He was sitting on the hood of his car with his girlfriend AJ cuddled up next to him. Her friends Kaitlyn and Dolph were there too, though both of them were too busy looking at something on Dolph's phone to take much interest in him. "What's up?" he asked as he walked over.

"We're camping out in the woods by Roberts Park tonight," Phil answered. "You should join us."

Seth's first instinct was to say no. He hated camping. But given the fact that his nights now typically consisted of him hiding in his room while his parents fought, any excuse not to be home with them needed to be taken advantage of. "I'm in." Forget even asking for permission. He doubted they would even notice he was gone. "What time are we meeting up?"

Phil shrugged. "Seven?" He looked to the others. "That sound good to you guys?"

AJ nodded.

"Sure," Kaitlyn agreed. She flipped some of her blonde and black hair out of her face. "Eve wants to come."

"And Kofi," Dolph added. "I already told him he could."

"Fine fine." Phil slid down off his car before helping AJ down as well. "The more the merrier." He headed around to the driver's side door. "Need a ride?"

It took Seth a moment to realize Phil was talking to him. He almost said no. If his parents were going to be fighting he wanted to avoid home for as long as possible. But as he stood there he felt those eyes on him again. He didn't even have to look back to know. A small shudder went through him and he quickly nodded. "Yeah." He went around to the back of the car so he could squeeze in after Kaitlyn. "Thanks."

* * *

Long after the other students and even the other teachers had left Dean remained by the chain link fence that separated the student parking lot from the track. He had nowhere else to go. His mother had run off with her latest boyfriend after she got them evicted from their apartment, leaving him with nowhere to go. He had nowhere else to go so he had been sleeping on park benches-when he could sleep anyway. Any time he closed his eyes the voices started up, getting worse than they were when he was awake.

He chewed on his lower lip, biting down until he tasted his own blood. They were always fucking talking. Sometimes loudly, sometimes softly but they were always fucking there. They gnawed at him, twisting him up on the inside until he exploded, whether it be on himself or on someone else. It was building up in him again but there was nobody to get in sight. He dug his nails into his palms but even as he felt himself relax he knew it would be short lived. It always was.

He pushed himself off the fence and began to walk. He wandered a lot, finding it easier to avoid nosy cops if it seemed like he was going somewhere. He rubbed his shoulder as he went, the limb never having healed right after one of his mom's asshole ex-boyfriends ripped it out of its socket a few years back. Every twinge of pain worsened his mood. It made the voices even louder. They kept talking to him, telling him he was stupid, telling him to die, telling him to kill...they were all jumbling together. He hated them. He had to make them shut up. The closest he got to them being quiet was when he started watching that Rollins kid in his classes. The other boy captivated him in ways other people didn't. He could think about the things he wanted to do to him. Things nobody would ever let him do to them willingly. He didn't know how this shit started or why. Rollins wasn't anything new. They had been around each other for a couple years now. Yet somehow the seed had slipped into his brain and blossomed and was now driving him even crazier. Not that it mattered. Seth wouldn't love him. Nobody ever would. He was dirty and useless and stupid.

"Stop it." He balled up his fist and punched himself across the face. "Stop it." Over and over again he hit himself, nearly breaking his own jaw. It didn't shut them up though. They just kept it up and he felt his hands start to shake. People were staring at him. He could see them all. The little homeless lady on the corner looked frightened. The little kids walking by were curious and their mothers gave him death glare. From across the street he could see a bunch of other kids he went to school with. Boy scout John Cena with his bimbo cheerleader Nikki Bella. Nikki's sister Brie with Daniel Bryan, who had been this huge nerd until this past year when he became the star of the school's wrestling team. Another cheerleader named Kelly and then there was Randy fucking Orton. Orton, who was Principal Helmsley's pride and joy despite the fact that he was legitimately awful to everyone around him. There was a bruise on Dean's back still from where the fucker had pushed him down the stairs. There hadn't even been a reason for it. Dean hadn't even done anything to him. He was just an asshole who liked to fuck with him. And he was very tired of people fucking with him.

Orton smirked as they made eye contact and whispered something to the group. Nikki and Kelly laughed obnoxiously while Bryan, Cena and Brie all looked uncomfortable. Dean's spine stiffened. He felt something snap inside his brain. Fucking asshole Orton wanted to laugh at him? Oh he would give him something to laugh about. He knew where he'd be tonight. Roberts Park was playing host to a good chunk of his fellow classmates tonight. Some staying in the park itself, some going into the woods...Randy would be in the woods. And he would be waiting for him.

"If you go into the woods tonight, you won't believe your eyes," he sang to himself as he began to walk once more. His lips turned into a little smile. "If you go into the woods tonight, you're in for a big surprise..."


	2. Chapter 2

Seth met the others at the park at seven like Phil had said. Others had the same camping idea but Phil knew the woods well and found them their own secluded spot. He, Seth, Dolph and Kofi set up the tents while Kaitlyn and AJ started a fire. The cooler they had brought along held not only a shit ton of beer and soda (which was mostly for Phil since he didn't drink) but enough hot dogs to feed a small army. Seth didn't particularly care for hot dogs but it was free food and he never turned that down. He wolfed down two along with a couple of beers, his end of the conversation light. Out of this group he was really only friends with Phil. He was only acquaintance really to Dolph and Kaitlyn and he barely even knew Kofi and AJ. AJ wasn't doing much to acknowledge him. Her attention stayed mostly on Phil and Kaitlyn. Kofi was nice enough though. Phil was quick to whisper that Kofi was available and Seth had to roll his eyes. In between finding out about Seth's bisexuality and his rough breakup with Layla, Phil's answer to him getting back on track was forgetting about girls and jumping back on the wagon with a guy. Seth appreciated the concern but after getting cheated on and humiliated in finding out practically everyone knew but him, he was pretty much done with dating anyone for any foreseeable future.

"Alright this is getting lame," Dolph said once they got done with the hot dogs and moved on to making smores. "Let's-"

"We're not skinny dipping." Kaitlyn was all too quick with the interruption. "I told you that a million times."

"Oh come on!" Dolph pouted and gave her the best set of puppy dog eyes that he could manage. "You know it'll be fun."

Kaitlyn made a face. "Uhhh no. No way." She looked to AJ for support. "Tell him."

"No skinny dipping," AJ agreed. "Let's tell ghost stories."

Dolph snorted. "Lame." He looked to the others. "That's lame isn't it?"

Kofi shrugged. "Not if someone's got some good ones." He looked at Phil and Seth. "You two know any?"

Both Seth and Phil shook their heads. The only ones Seth knew were really lame ones that he found scary when he was seven. Not exactly the material that would impress anyone here. Dolph's skinny dipping idea though couldn't win. The lake was a really long walk from where they were and Seth wasn't about to get dragged into it. "We got plenty of beer." That was the best Seth could come up with. "Do we really need anything else?"

"Music!" AJ slapped her hands to her thighs before jumping up to her feet. "Daddy got me a boom box with an I-pod adapter." She held her hand out down towards Phil. "Give me your keys. I left it in your car."

"Hope you hid it under something." Phil leaned back and wrestled his keys from his pocket. "Idiot could have looked in there and stole it."

"I put it under the seat when we were unloading the tents. I'm not stupid." She snatched the keys out of Phil's hands and grabbed Kaitlyn's arm. "Come with me."

Kaitlyn groaned but got up and followed her to the car anyway. Dolph watched them both go, blatantly checking out their asses until Phil smacked him upside the head. "Hey!" He rubbed his head gingerly. "I was looking at my girl."

"And mine. Don't even lie to me." Phil reached into the cooler and pulled out a new can of Pepsi. "Asshole."

"Shit stain."

"Cock master."

Seth rolled his eyes before letting them wander around the trees surrounding them. The fire they had built didn't illuminate much beyond their little campsite. The rest of the woods loomed ominously around them. Fuck. Why had they thought this was a good idea? Something could be out there waiting to get them. Like a bear or a wolf or some shit like that. He wanted to voice the thought but kept silence. He knew he wouldn't get the reassurance he wanted if he brought it up. They would just make fun of him for being scared. They would say he was being stupid and that there was nothing out there to hurt him. And they were most likely right. People camped out in these woods all the time with nothing happening to them. They would be just fine here.

* * *

Dean hated being outside. He should have gotten used to it by now given his living situation but he still hated it. Especially at night. The dark had scared him ever since he was a kid. The voices were louder and he couldn't ever tell if it was just a shadow or something waiting to get him. Back when he had a home he had been convinced there was a thing that lived under his bed. A monster under the bed that he would hear growling. It would wait for him to make the mistake of getting up before sunrise. But he never did. He once stayed in bed for three days because the sun had been clouded over in a series of storms. His mom's boyfriend at the time came in and smacked the shit out of him for screaming about the eternal night. He remembered the asshole dragging him out of bed and holding him down on the floor, laughing as he screamed and tried to get back on the bed for refuge. The monster hadn't taken him that day. It had taken that asshole instead. Ripped his throat out and mauled him, leaving him to get back in bed. His mother hadn't believed him of course. She screamed at him, saying he had done it. He tried to tell her he didn't but the blood on his clothes and his hands and even what was stained around his mouth kept her convinced that it had been him.

He looked down at what he happened to have in his hands. A baseball bat he stole from the school and a knife that came from who knew where. He couldn't remember anymore. Things all swirled together, sometimes leaving him remembering them one way and then sometimes another. What he knew for sure was that both of the weapons felt good in his hands. Having them kept the bad things away and let him concentrate on finding Randy. It wasn't as easy as he wanted it to be. The woods covered a lot of miles and while most of the people out tonight were camping in the park, there were still enough camps set up in the woods to make it hard to find Orton. Frustration was starting to set in and he didn't know what to do. Fucking Orton. Stupid fucking Orton. He swore he could hear his voice among the others. Calling him stupid and worthless and all the other shit that got said to him. Fucker. He had to shut him up. He had to shut him all up.

"Orton hurry up!" John Cena's voice cut through Dean's thoughts. "We don't wanna wait for your ass!"

"Hold your horses." Orton snapped. He sounded so very fucking drunk. Not surprising. All he ever did when he wasn't in school was party. "I gotta take a piss."  
Dean crouched down and carefully followed the sound of Orton's voice. Through the bushes he could see him taking a piss on a tree. His back was to him, leaving him completely unaware of Dean's presence. Dean's gaze dropped down to his hands. Bat or knife. Bat or knife. What to choose...or why choose. He stuck the hand holding the knife inside his jacket pocket and came out of the bushes with the bat gripped tightly against his side. Orton turned around, so busy tucking himself back into his pants that he almost didn't see Dean standing there. When he did notice he froze, eyes blinking dumbly as he slowly processed the fact that Dean was even there.

"What the fuck are you doing out here Ambrose?" Randy stepped forward, either so drunk he was oblivious to the bat in Dean's hands or so drunk that he just didn't care. "The fuck you watching me for?"

Dean didn't answer. He just stared, the voices telling him to keep still.

"Hey! I fucking said something to you." Orton sauntered forward, nearly tripping over his own feet in the process. "Fucking freak." His face twisted into a sneer. "You fucking live out here or something?" He glanced around. "Or you just lookin for an ass whoopin?" He smirked and kept stepping closer. "Cuz I can do that." He waited for Dean to say something but he had nothing. He just stared, his body nearly vibrating with how he wanted to strike.

"The fuck is wrong with you?" Orton's temper is on the rise. He was almost in arm's reach of Dean, his fists already balling up at his sides. "Why don't you fucking say anything?" Dean still didn't answer him and he raised his hand to strike. "You fucking little-"

Dean didn't let him say anymore. He closed the distance between them, the knife coming back out of his pocket so he could bury the blade deep into Orton's stomach. To his surprise there wasn't an immediate cry of pain that comes from Randy's lips. Orton's mouth just dropped open instead and he looked back and forth between the knife buried in him to the hilt and Dean's face. His expression was one of disbelief. It wasn't until Dean pulled it back out and shoved him to the ground that he screamed.

"Randy?" Cena was the one to yell. "Randy what the fuck are you doing?"

Another garbled scream emerged from the bleeding boy and Dean raised the bat high, striking down across Orton's mouth to shut up him. His lips busted open on impact and several of his teeth went down his throat, making him choke. The bat came down again. And again. And again. Dean couldn't stop himself even if he wanted to. He just kept bringing the bat now, not stopping until he heard Cena and whoever the fuck else was with him coming. He didn't run. He should run but he didn't. He knew what to do.

He knew exactly what to do.

* * *

The beer flowed freely as the night went on and Seth felt himself float into a nice bit of drunkeness. He didn't drink often so when he did it didn't take long to get him fucked up. AJ blasted girly pop rock for them to dance to as they drank. It wasn't anything he liked in the very least but he found himself caring less and less as each beer was downed. Phil shook his head at all of them, trying his best to corral them since he was the only sober one. But when he went to help AJ go to the bathroom (she was nearly falling over she was so drunk he couldn't let her go by herself), Dolph came up with the idea that the rest of them should play hide and seek through the woods. Everyone was stupidly drunk enough to think that was a good idea and that was how Seth found himself in his current predicament. He had gotten himself all turned around in looking or a suitable hiding spot and now he wasn't even sure where he was or if anyone would find him. He tried to turn around and go back, not caring if that meant he lost the game but his sense of direction was too fucked up to garner any success. _Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck._

Panic started to sober him up and he tried to keep himself calm. Freaking out wasn't going to get him anywhere. He could find a way out. The woods didn't last forever. He could get out of here and just figure out how to get back to the camp after. He just had to focus for a few minutes. The ability to stay calm was rapidly going out the window. Every little sound made him jump. Why had he thought coming out here was a good idea? Shitty home situation or not, this had been a mistake.

"Stupid. Fucking stupid," he hissed. He needed to knock it off. He straightened himself up as much as he could and started walking in the direction he thought would maybe get him back to camp. He made himself keep his eyes straight ahead, not wanting to catch sight of anything that would freak him out. He doesn't even let himself look down which proved to be a mistake. His foot hit something heavy and he fell, his hands barely getting out in front of him to break his fall. Something warm and sticky mixed with the grass and leaves coated his skin. He groaned and pushed himself up to his knees before looking down at them. It took him a moment for what it was to really sink in and when it did he felt his breath caught in his throat.

Blood. Fucking blood.

"What the fuck?" He stared down at his hands a moment longer before turning back to see what it was he tripped over. Immediately he wished he hadn't. The mangled corpse of Randy Orton laid right behind him. He screamed and scrambled back, unable to tear his eyes away from the body until he felt his hand close around cold skin. "No no no..." He didn't want to look. He really didn't. But he did and he screamed again. His hand had closed around the now deceased John Cena's arm. At least he thought it was John Cena. The face was so beat in it was hard to even tell.

"Noooo no no no..." Seth jumped to his feet and stumbled back. He couldn't make himself look away. His brain ordered him to scream but his throat closed in on him. He just stared at the carnage in front of him, mouth agape until he felt a bloody hand close in around his face. Only then could he finally scream again.


	3. Chapter 3

Wrong. This was all wrong. That was all Dean could think as he dragged the still struggling Seth back to the campsite he had just gotten done terrorizing. He hadn't expected to actually run into anyone else. If it had been anyone but Seth he was pretty sure they would have ended up just like Randy and his little friends. But it was Seth and now he had no idea what the hell he was even doing now. Seth had already seen Orton and Cena which was already too much. He couldn't just let him go. The voices were telling him to get rid of him. Seth would tell. Seth would get him in trouble. But he shushed them. He didn't want to hurt Seth. He didn't know why but he didn't. Maybe he could make him understand. Yeah. He wasn't always so great with words but maybe there was a way to make him understand that he had to do it.

Seth kept trying to drag his feet so Dean picked him up to make things easier. All that got him was a parade of kicks against his shins. He winced but kept going, getting Seth to what had been Orton's campsite. The bodies of Kelly, Bryan and the Bellas laid on the ground and Seth's struggles ceased as he stared at the carnage in horror. Dean kept moving, kicking Kelly's nearly decapitated head as he carried Seth to one of the untouched tent. He threw Seth inside and went right in after him, zipping it shut around after him. Seth scrambled back as far back as he could. He couldn't get far. This was the smaller of the two tents and Dean watched him realize that he had nowhere to go. Brown eyes gleamed with terror and his body trembled as his breathing quickened.

"Wh-wh-what did you do?" Seth's eyes shifted back and forth between Dean's face and blood covered hands. The knife was tucked away in his pocket while he had flung the bat somewhere after beating Nikki's head in. He needed to go find it but made no move to actually go do so yet. "What did you do?" Seth asked yet again even though it was blatantly obvious what he had done. "Dean what did you do?"

Dean didn't answer. He still needed to make him understand but his mouth wouldn't work properly. The longer he stared at Seth, the less important that seemed to be anyway. A whole new realization took him over. He had Seth all to himself. The boy who dominated his brain whenever he was around him was right there in front of him. He was right fucking there and a whole new voice rose up in the back of his head. Take him. He was there for the taking. It was late and most people were probably asleep or going to be soon. There was still at least five or six hours before the night ended and he had to be gone. Plenty of time to do all sorts of things.

"D-D-Dean?" The longer nothing happened the more frightened Seth became. "Dean what happened?" He swallowed hard and tried to get his breathing back under control. "You didn't do anything right?" He was trying to convince himself this could possibly true. It was a completely futile attempt and there was a part of him that knew that. But he seemed to have to try. To just completely accept the idea that he was trapped in a tent with a guy who just murdered six of their classmates was too much for him to fully accept. "You just...you just found them all right? Just like me." He nodded at his own words, trying to coax the answer he wanted out of Dean. "We can go get help. we can get help and the police can find who really did this."

"No," Dean growled. He wanted nothing to do with the police. Even if he hadn't done this they would blame him anyway. That was what they always did. That's what everyone did. Nobody ever considered the fact that he didn't always do anything. They just had to get him. Had to bring him down. And he didn't want Seth to be like them. If he was he as going to have to hurt him. There just wouldn't be any choice in the matter.

"Dean please..."

Dean didn't want to hear anymore. He moved in on Seth, pulling the smaller boy under him and pinning him down on one of the sleeping bags. Seth yelped and tried to shove Dean off him. Dean growled and grabbed his wrists, effectively pinning them down above his head with one hand. His other hand gripped Seth's chin, squeezing and digging his nails into his skin. Seth whimpered and tried to buck Dean off of him. His groin inadvertently rubbed against Dean's in the process. Dean groaned, his eyes widening at the sensation. Seth was in too much of a panic to realize what he was doing. Dean bit down on his lower lip, barely suppressing a moan. He couldn't contain his body's reaction though. He felt his cock harden and he found himself rubbing back against Seth in return. The new voice in his head grew louder. _Take him. He's right there for you. Take him take him take him..._

Seth froze as he realized what the look on his face meant. "Wait wait wait." He shook his head frantically. "Dean no." His eyes now had dread mixed in with his pure terror. "No no no Dean don't..."

The plea went one ear and out the other. Both of Dean's hands went to Seth's clothes, ripping and tearing at them clumsily. Take take take. That was all anyone had ever done to him. Now it was his turn. Seth's shirt came apart in his hands and he tossed it behind him carelessly. He went for the jeans next and that was where Seth really panicked. His head shot up and he nailed Dean right in the nose as hard as he could. Dean felt his nose break and tasted the blood on his lips. The blow dazed him, giving Seth the chance to shove him off and scramble to get away. Dean heard the zipper on the flap and it brought him back to his senses. Blood still gushed from his nose but that and the pain felt so very far away. Anger took over in its place. His hand pulled the knife from his pocket and he lunged, burying the blade into Seth's leg as hard as he could. Seth screamed and Dean pulled him back, flipping him over so he was on his back once more.

"You wanna play with me Seth?" Dean wrapped a hand around Seth's throat and squeezed hard. "You wanna play?" Spittle flew from his mouth as he spoke but he really didn't notice. "Orton liked to play." He reached down with his free hand and pulled the knife out of Seth's leg, taking more than a little delight in the choked cry that followed. "You want to play like Orton?" He brought the knife up dangerously close to Seth's left eye. "I made him stop. I can you make you stop too."

Tears streamed down Seth's face. Dean didn't know whether they were from pain or fear. Maybe it was both. Dean liked it either way. His anger faded slightly and he lowered his head and slowly dragged his tongue up Seth's cheek. "So fucking pretty," he mumbled. "So fucking pretty..."

* * *

Seth was going to die. The realization made him sob all the harder. He didn't want to die. God he really, really did not want to fucking die. But it was the only outcome he could see for himself. Dean was fucking insane. Not that he thought the other boy was sane before but this was a million times worse than he could imagine. The carnage outside the tent was like nothing he had ever seen. And what was happening now...no. His mind was already trying to shut itself down. He knew where this was going and his brain was trying to spare him by making it not feel real. It didn't want him to focus on his jeans being ripped off him or the fact that his leg was bleeding rather profusely. Tears still fell from his eyes but his sobs quieted and for a moment he thought he could be okay.

It wasn't a moment that lasted long. His brains attempts to pull him from his own body came crashing down as he felt Dean inside of him. He screamed, the pain so bad he felt like he was being ripped in half. Sobs tore through him once more and he tried to beg him to stop. He opened his mouth to do it but the words wouldn't come out. Instead he just screamed, his body involuntarily tensing and making it hurt even more. Now he did just want to die. Death sounded so much better. Anything had to be better than this.

"Stop stop stop!" Dean froze inside of him, blue eyes wild and uncertain as he clamped a hand down on Seth's mouth. The screaming snapped him out of his mania a little bit but he still wasn't all there. How had everybody just ignored him and let him carry on like this? He was crazy. He was completely out of his mind. He should have been medicated and locked up somewhere before all this happened. But now it was too late. People were dead and he was...no. His brain still refused to accept what was happening to him. This wasn't happening.

"Don't make me hurt you." The statement flying from Dean's mouth was jarring. He had already hurt him what the fuck was he even talking about. "They'll make me hurt you."

Seth had no idea who they even were. He didn't give a flying fuck. He had to get out of this. The feeling of Dean's face buried in his neck and him moving inside of him was more than he could take. He drove his head forward once more, again catching Dean right in the face. Dean howled and Seth pushed him off and scrambled up to his feet. This time he made it out of the tent and he started to run. His left leg buckled, more blood gushing from the wound as he hit the ground. The pain was searing but he forced himself up once again. He could hear Dean coming and he tried to go faster. He dragged his leg behind him and tried to move on the one good one but it wasn't enough. Dean's weight crashed into him and they didn't come to a stop as they hit the ground. They rolled several feet, Dean snarling and growling like an animal while Seth screamed. He didn't see the knife coming down at him. He wasn't surprised when he felt it though. The blade went through his stomach and his screams were cut off suddenly.

"I told you," Dean shook his head, strands of dirty blond hair flying all over the place. "I told you they'd make me do it." He looked down at Seth, his face a mix of emotions. Anger, disappointment, confusion...maybe there were more but Seth couldn't tell what the fuck they were. "I told you." The pitch in his voice got higher, almost turning into a nasal sort of whine. "I fucking told you. I told you I fucking told you!" He twist the knife deeper into Seth, sneering as he screamed. "Just like everyone else aren't you?"

Seth tried to shake his head. He fucked up. He was just continually fucking up. He should have just let Dean do what he wanted in the tent. This was so much worse.

Dean moved on him, snarling and mumbling incoherently. He was looking for something. Seth didn't know what and he didn't want to know. The knife was still in him and he wrapped his hand around it. Should he pull it out? He swore he heard somewhere that yanking things like this out of you was bad. But keeping it in couldn't be good. He tightened his grip on it but didn't pull yet. He was slipping in and out of consciousness rapidly, the blood pouring out of him making him woozy. He heard Dean coming back for him and he closed his eyes, bracing himself for whatever was coming next.

The gunshot sounded like a bomb to Seth's ears. He flinched, so disoriented he thought he was the one who took the bullet. It wasn't until he heard shouting and people running that it dawned on him that Dean was the one who had been fired at. He tried to sit himself up to see but his limbs felt too heavy. He couldn't even open his eyes. He just laid there, his mind drifting away as a woman's voice screamed about calling for help.


	4. Chapter 4

Seth didn't wake back up for nearly three days. When he finally did come to, he found himself laying in a hospital bed with his parents by his side. His mother's eyes were red and puffy from crying and she immediately fussed over him while his father went to go find a doctor. At first he didn't remember why he was there. His head felt too fuzzy to properly think about anything. But as he tried to move pain coursed through him and suddenly he remembered everything. The woods. Dean grabbing him. All the bodies. So much blood. Dean taking him to the tent. Dean...attacking him. Trying to kill him. More blood. So much blood. He tried to shake it all off. He didn't want to remember this. The more he remembered the more the fact that it had all been real started to set in. He needed it to just be a nightmare. Just a terrible nightmare that he could push aside and move on from but it wasn't. "Mom..." He buried his face in her neck, too petrified to be embarrassed by the tears burning behind his eyes. "Mom..." He wanted the reassurance that it had just been a dream. That he was laying there in the hospital for some other reason because it couldn't be this. "Mommy..."

"Sssshhhh." His mother smothered him in kisses, cooing about how it would be alright. He didn't see how it would be though. Not after this.

"How did I...what happened to..." Seth still couldn't finish any of his sentences. Too much was going on in his head and the pain in his body was really setting in.

"Mr. Calaway and his wife found you." His mom was able to piece together what he wanted to know. "They were hunting and heard you struggling with that...boy." Her lips turned at the thought of Dean but she shook it off. "Mr. Calaway saw what he was going to do and shot him. He's in a prison hospital right now." She smoothed down his hair and tried to give him a reassuring smile. "He won't be able to hurt you again."

Somehow he didn't find himself comforted by that. Maybe Dean being locked away now spared people for the future but it didn't take away what happened to him. It didn't make his classmates any less dead. Maybe he hadn't really been friends with them but he still knew them and now they were dead. They had been brutally murdered and he had nearly met the same fate. Things having to get to that fucking level before someone thought they should do something about Dean was not okay.

His father returned with not only the doctors but a man and a woman as well. Both were blonde and the vibe they gave off as they stood together told Seth they clearly had more going on between them than just a working relationship. "The detectives really need to speak to him," his father said as the ire in his mother's eyes was raised.

"Now? Larry no."

"Jennifer please."

"Look at him! He doesn't need an interrogation!"

The detectives exchanged looks and the male was the one to speak first. "Ma'am we don't intend to interrogate anyone here. We just need to get your son's statements while the details of what happened are relatively fresh in his mind."

Seth snorted. Like he would ever forget.

"Can we please just have a few minutes alone with him?" The woman spoke up now. "Just so we can get it over with."

Seth saw unhappy his mother was but she still looked to him to make the decision. Truth be told he didn't want to. Just thinking about it made him want to throw up so actually speaking of it wouldn't make him feel any better. But he knew he had no real choice in the matter. What if not talking let Dean walk free? That probably wasn't too likely considering the bloody scene that had been in the woods but it wasn't a chance he could take. "Okay." His voice didn't sound like his own. It was broken. Shaky. God why couldn't this be a dream?

His parents and the doctors left the room and the detectives moved to the side of the bed his mother had been sitting at. The woman took the lead to start. "I'm Detective Stratus and this is Detective Jericho. Can you take us through what happened to you in the woods?"

Seth wanted to shift around. He felt so very uncomfortable but the mere thought of moving was one his body protested vehemently. "I um...I was camping with friends. And I go um...lost." No way he was actually admitting to being drunk in front of these guys. "And I just...I just found Randy and John on accident. I didn't know they'd be out there and I just kept getting more and more lost and I tripped and fell and there was blood everywhere..." He looked down at his hands and winced. He could still feel it on him.

"Where did Dean come from?" Jericho asked. "Did you see him coming?"

Seth shook his head. "He grabbed me from behind. Dragged me to the campsite. The others were all dead." He swallowed hard. "There was just much blood. It was all over him. I tried to reason with him. I did. But he just kept staring at me and I just..." He shook his head, not wanting to remember more.

"It's okay." Stratus reached out and put her hand on his shoulder. "Just keep going."

No it wasn't okay. No he didn't want to keep going. Yet he obeyed anyway. "He threw me into the tent. I...I didn't know what to do."

"How well did you know him?" Jericho was once again the one asking the questions.

"I had some classes with him. He's been staring at me a lot." Seth didn't try to fight the shudder that went through him. "He stabbed my leg when I tried to get away the first time. He pinned me down and held the knife at me. I didn't want to die but when he started to...you know...it just hurt. It hurt so fucking bad and I tried to get away again. But then he got me again and he stabbed me and then he went to grab the bat and that's when he got shot." He couldn't even bear to make eye contact with either detective. "He's crazy. He was saying they would make him hurt me."

"They?" Stratus inquired gently. "Do you know who he was talking about?"

"No!" Seth snapped. "How am I supposed to know?" He looked up, getting angry now. "He's a fucking nutcase." He hugged himself, wishing he had just refused to even talk about this. "He's crazy. He's really fucking crazy. People like joked that he was a lunatic but he really fucking is." He let out a shaky sigh. "Are we done?" he asked hopefully. "Can we be done?"

Jericho nodded. "Yeah." He pulled Stratus back, his hand lingering on her back a few seconds londer than it probably should have. "If we have anymore questions we'll get in touch."

Seth just nodded. He didn't wait for them to leave before shutting his eyes. He hoped they wouldn't be back. There was nothing else to tell them. He just wanted to push it all out of his mind and forget it even happened. But even as he laid there, praying for it to be gone, the memory of Dean's crazed eyes burned right through him. He could feel his touch, hear his voice, feel the sheer terror coursing through his veins.

There would be no forgetting. Not ever.

* * *

The skin on both of his wrists was raw from his struggles. Dean woke up in this strange bed with one hand cuffed up and had gone berserk, clawing and ripping away at his own wrist until the doctors came in and sedated him. When he woke up once more his other hand was tied down and he screamed himself hoarse upon realizing it. He tried to get away still. Tried to pull himself free, tried to bite at not only the doctors and nurses that came to see him but the police as well. They tried to question him about what happened in the woods but got nothing out of him. Even when they forced medication into him he just sat there in silence. He didn't think about the ones he had killed. They were gone and in his mind didn't even exist anymore. No, he only fixated on Seth.

Seth had been where he wanted him. He had been right there in his grasp but now he was gone. Nobody would tell Dean who put the bullet in him so his mind made up its own story, telling him it had been Seth who had done it. Part of him tried to argue with these events. He had been looking in Seth and he hadn't had a gun. But then the voices just screamed at him, frightening him not to argue anymore. It had been Seth. That's what they said and that's what he started to believe. Seth was just like them. He was like everyone else who had hurt him. He was probably laughing at him now. They were going to take him away and lock him up just like his mother threatened to have done to him when he got too wild as a kid.

He whimpered and struggled more against his restraints. They wouldn't keep him here in this hospital forever. They would be taking him to another one where they would throw away the key and never let him back out. They would all forget about him. But he wouldn't let them. Oh no no no he wouldn't let them. One way or another he would get out. And then they would all pay. Oh yes, they would pay.

* * *

The story dominated the news channels for weeks. The murders of Randy Orton, John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Brie and Nikki Bella and Kelly Kelly shocked the nation in their brutality. The town held a vigil in their honor and Roberts Park was shut down and fenced off to try to keep people away from the wooded area they died in. It didn't keep everyone out though. Kids managed to sneak in and when they emerged they swore up and down the spirits of the six teenagers haunted the area.

Being the lone survivor, Seth got a lot of unwanted attention. The media hounded him, wanting to know his side of the story. He refused to answer any of their questions, retreating further and further into himself. His parents walked on egg shells around him, sending him to therapy which ended up not working because of his refusal to really deal with what happened. When it was time to go back to school in the fall, the stares and whispers from not only his classmates but his teachers became too much for him. He left a note for his parents and took off, dyeing his hair and going under the name Tyler Black for nearly five years. And while he eventually found places where people didn't immediately know him as the survivor of the Roberts Woods Massacre (as some had gone on to dub it), there was no peace within himself to be had. What happened that night was too burned into his brain to escape, no matter how far he ran or what he did to make himself forget.

Much to the anger of the families of the murdered teens, Dean himself was the most talked about in the news. They fixated on him, dedicating hours upon hours of television examining not only the crime itself but what led up to it. His childhood was dragged out for public record. The junkie mother who neglected and eventually abandoned him. Her string of boyfriends that abused him. The fact that he was frequently bullied all through his time in school and how the teachers and counselors and various other adults in his life not only ignored how he was treated but ignored his deteriorating mental state. It all became a cautionary tale of epic proportions.

Not that Dean himself was aware of any of that. Upon being not fit to stand trial for his crimes, he was locked away in the Shady Hills Psychiatric Hospital. As he correctly thought, they put him in there with no intention of letting him back out. He was too dangerous and medication didn't work as well as they hoped. He was meant to live and die behind those walls.

But even the best laid plans had a way of going awry.


	5. Chapter 5

_Seth's heart hammered away inside his chest as he ran. He was back in those woods. The awful woods that he had been trying so hard to escape. Branches hit his face as he went, scratching his face and making him bleed. Every cut stung but he couldn't let himself stop. It may have been too dark to see much but he knew Dean was somewhere behind him. He tried to scream for help but not a sound actually emerged from his mouth. His legs started to feel weak and boneless. No. He couldn't let himself slow down. He tried to push himself to go faster. His legs refused to cooperate. They gave out from under him and he fell, his face hitting the ground so hard he could only lay there stunned._

_A hand wrapped around his ankle and now he could finally scream. "NO!" He tried to kick with his other leg but another hand grabbed it as well. "NO NO NO NO!" His hands clawed wildly against the ground, looking for anything that would stop him. "NO PLEASE NO NO DON'T PLEASE-"_

The sound of the alarm going off rescued Seth from the nightmare. He shot straight up, body drenched in a cold sweat. His heart was still pounding away inside his chest. Fuck. That had felt entirely too real.

"Baby?" The alarm shut off and the man by his side quickly sat up with him. "You okay?"

Seth involuntarily flinched as Roman pulled him into his arms. It was only once he was against the strong chest of the Samoan that he realized he was trembling. "I'm fine," he lied. His face turned red with embarrassment. "I'm fine."

Roman didn't believe him for a second. He wasn't going to call him out for lying though. He just continued to hold him, peppering the side of his face with little kisses. Slowly but sure, Seth did feel himself start to relax. It had just been a dream. A stupid dream that he felt silly for even having. Ten years. It had been ten god damn years since all the shit in the woods happened yet he still had nightmares about it. Granted, he knew they would be getting worse. Every anniversary of it brought the intensity of the nightmares back to the level they had constantly been at after it first happened. But he had still hoped that maybe it wouldn't happen this time. Ten years was too god damn long to be having these dreams. Didn't he deserve to have them go away? Hadn't he suffered enough?

"Do you need to call in?" Roman asked gently.

Seth shook his head. As an unappealing as going to work sounded, he didn't want to just sit around and wallow in everything. Keeping himself busy was what he needed to do.

Roman accepted his answer without argument. Seth gave him a kiss before getting up and getting in the shower. He didn't say it as often as he should but he was so grateful to have Roman in his life. They had been dating for the past two years and living together for a little over six months. They had met when Seth had moved from Orlando to Tampa and hit it off right away. Roman had been finally dipping his toe back in the dating waters after his fiancé had died in a car crash two and a half years before and Seth was fresh off running away from the implosion of his relationship with Paige. She had been the first person he confided in about what happened with Dean. She had gotten him to go back to using his real name, reestablish contact with his parents, and even gave him Lucy, their four year old daughter...but as good as their relationship had been, it was equally as toxic when they would hit bumps in the road. She had anger issues and wasn't exactly faithful. And during stretches when the nightmares were really bad he tended to drink, which just made their issues entirely worse. She finally just kicked him out and he skipped town entirely, not intending to stumble into another relationship so soon after. But Roman had waltzed into his life and he was the best thing to ever happen to him besides Lucy. He never made him feel bad for his inability to completely get over what happened. He never pushed him, instead being the rock he could lean on when he wanted. That was such a big thing for Seth. He at least didn't feel like he had to run anymore. With Roman he actually felt safe.

He finished showering and got dressed before heading downstairs. Roman was still cooking the eggs and bacon so he went ahead and set the table. "Do you gotta stay late tonight?"

Roman shook his head. "You?"

"No. You want to see a movie?"

"Yeah sure."

"What do you want to see?"

Roman just shrugged. "I don't care. Anything you want."

"Well that's not helpful." Seth stepped up right behind him, his fingers finding their way into the back pockets of Roman's jeans and just resting in there like they were his. He put his chin on Roman's shoulder and nuzzled his face against his cheek. "What if I can't decide?"

"Then I'll pick and you'll complain about my choice." Roman replied. He turned his head so their noses were almost touching. "Go ahead and pull the ability to make up your mind out of your ass. Trust me, we'll both be happier."

Seth groaned and pinched Roman's side. "Ass." He tried to go back to the table to pout when Roman snagged an arm around his waist and pulled him in for a kiss. He fought it for the briefest of seconds before giving in, his arms resting over Roman's shoulders. His fingers gripped the long black hair that hung down loose. Roman usually pulled it back before leaving for work but Seth liked it much better this way.

Just like he had started it, Roman was the one to break it. He gave Seth's kiss swollen lips one last nip before smirking and taking the eggs off the burner. "You were saying?"  
Seth smirked. "Still an ass." He chuckled as Roman pouted. "I love you though."

"I love you too." Roman gave him one more kiss. "Now sit. It's time to eat."

* * *

Seth's current job was working at the local gym. He had started out just working at the front desk but in addition to that he also worked as a personal trainer a few times through the week. Today wasn't one of those days though. Instead he took his spot at the front desk, nodding at Cody Rhodes, who was already there. Cody was about the only person there he really talked to. Not that he was purposefully unfriendly to everyone else. It was just that he worked most of his shifts with Cody so they ended up bonding through that. Cody had a wife named Eden, who was coming up on her six month of pregnancy. Cody was very nervous about the fact and had been picking Seth's brain about the subject of fatherhood because he knew about Lucy. Seth was expecting more of the same as he came in but it wasn't the case yet. Cody's attention was zeroed in on something he had hidden under the counter. Barely anyone was in the gym at the moment and their boss Mr. Batista was on vacation so they had a nice bit of free reign for once. "What the hell are you looking at?"

"Nothing," Cody lied.

"Is that code for porn?" Seth smirked as Cody glared at him. "Come on let me see." He peered over the other man's shoulder and wasn't shocked in the very least to find that it was actually a video game magazine. "Oh for fuck's sakes man."

"What? This shit's important."

"You're hiding it like it's porn. Come on, boss man's not here. Let your geek flag fly."

Cody rolled his eyes. "Reading this doesn't make me a geek."

"No. It's the actual obsession that does that." Seth grabbed a pen and stuck the cap in his mouth. "You know you're just going to make yourself want a bunch of shit you can't have. Not with the kid on the way."

"I know I know," Cody grumbled. He sat back on his stool, getting more blatant with his reading now. "I just like looking." He flipped through a couple of pages. "And it's better than the shit Eden's been reading."

"What? The baby books?" Seth peered at the door to see if anyone was coming.

"Nah. She read some book about Jack the Ripper and now she's gone crazy with true crime shit."

Seth stiffened at that. "Oh?"

"Yeah." Cody was too absorbed in his magazine to see Seth's reaction. "I don't know why she's doing it. She's just going to scare the shit out of herself. I fucking told her that but she keeps reading all this shit and she's been watching all these documentaries to boot." He finally looked up and saw the look on Seth's face. "What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He took the pen cap out of his mouth and shifted around uncomfortably. "That shit just gives me the creeps." There. No lie to be found in saying that. Just a whole bag of worms that he wasn't about to open.

"I hear ya." Cody thankfully took the hint to change the subject. "Hey I was thinking that since you're getting Lucy this weekend that maybe me and Eden can hang out with you guys. Get a little practice in dealing with a kid."

"Dealing with a four year old isn't like dealing with a newborn," Seth pointed out.

"I know I know. But can you humor me here? Please?" He pouted his lips and made puppy dog eyes at Seth. "Pleeeeaseee?"

"Okay okay okay. Just stop that." Seth rolled his eyes as Cody raised his fist in victory. "You are such a fucking dumbass."

Cody grinned. "It's part of my charm."

Seth just snorted.

* * *

Dean didn't like it when they put him in the jacket on him. It squeezed away at him, making it not only hard to breathe but his arms numb as well. His throat hurt from screaming and inside the jacket his wrists were not only raw from struggling against his restraints but his knuckles were swollen and broken from punching holes in his walls again. They didn't understand that he needed to do it. Being confined like this made the voices even worse. None of their medicine really helped. Even if they quieted the voices down they just made him feel horribly sick. And seeing the same walls day after day and seeing the same doctors who hated him and liked to poke him with needles and even hit him in some cases, it all just was too much for him. He couldn't even keep track of how long he had been there. It all blended together in some long, never ending nightmare.

He fidgeted around in his seat, refusing to look at the man in front of him. They brought him to Dr. Regal again. The older British man had been his primary doctor since he had been brought here to begin with. Dean didn't know how to feel about him even to this day. He was always pushing and prodding, wanting him to talk and to get inside his head. But he never stuck him with needles or hurt him like some of the others. It was appreciated somewhere deep down inside, even if Dean never showed it. Not unless not trying to bite his face off counted as thanks.

"I heard you tried to redecorate your room." Regal always started out with a lighter comment. It was always meant to catch Dean off guard and lower his defenses. Sometimes it worked. Today was not one of them. "I must say the holes do add some character to the place." He let his eyes wander slowly around his office. "These walls are bloody awful."

Dean stayed silent. Instead he just chewed on his lower lip and shook his hair out of his eyes. Once every few months they strapped him down and gave him a haircut. It would be time to do that again soon and he was already dreading it. He liked his hair longer. Sticking the scissors in their stupid faces would be a much more productive use of them.

"How are you feeling today Dean?"

Dean would have shrugged if not for the jacket binding his arms.

"They said you're still refusing to see your mother."

Still nothing from Dean. His mother had gotten clean and found God or whatever. That was what they told him anyway. He didn't care. He didn't want to see her. She hadn't cared about him before so why should she start now? It was a trick. It had to be a trick of some sort.

"A visitor could do you some good."

"Seth."

Regal let out a long sigh. "Seth's not coming to see you."

"Seth," Dean repeated stubbornly. He tried to fight the jacket. He had to get it off. It was closing in on him even more, making it too hard to breathe. "He did this to me. He tricked me..."

"No," Regal said firmly. He was far too used to dealing with this obsession from Dean. "You put yourself here. You hurt Seth and killed all those people."

"No no no no-"

"Yes Dean." This was the bad thing about Regal. He didn't just accept anything. He always had to argue. "You hurt those people. That's why you're here. Seth didn't do anything wrong."

"He tricked me." Dean wasn't really listening to what Regal was saying. His ears were full of what the voices were saying. They were telling him the truth. Seth had been like everyone else. Seth tricked him. Seth helped put him here. Seth was like everyone else. And Regal was too. Regal helped to keep him here. Fucking Regal didn't get his hands dirty by poking him with needles but he still was bad. They were all bad. Bad bad bad.

Dean didn't realize he was lunging until his body hit Regal's and they were tumbling over his chair. He snarled and bit wildly, looking to get the older man in the face. Regal got an arm up just in time, howling as Dean's teeth sank in there. Other doctors were rushing in, grabbing him and yanking him off. He kicked and thrashed, wanting to hurt them all. He could get them just like he got Orton and the others. Just like he would get Seth. He would get them all. Oh how he would get them all.

The needle found its way into his neck. He didn't see who jammed it in this time. He just whimpered, trying to keep fighting but it was useless. His body became too heavy to move and with a whimper he collapsed in their arms, fully passing out before they tightened their grip and hauled him back to his room.


	6. Chapter 6

"Daddy! Daddy Daddy Daddy!"

"Lucy! You wait until the car is in park! We've talked about this!"

"DADDY!"

Seth felt every single bit of himself light up as Lucy ran to him at full speed. Her strawberry blonde hair (which was Paige's natural color though nobody would know it from the amount of black hair dye she kept slathered on) was pulled into pig tails and the Loony Toon character covered overalls were stained with dirt on the knees and by her ankles. "Come here pumpkin!" He knew he should probably join in the scolding for getting out of the car like she did but he was too happy to see her to do that at the moment. "Pumpkin!"

"Daddy Daddy Daddy!"

Seth scooped her up into his arms and immediately smothered her in loud, dramatic kissses. She squealed, her arms locking around his neck while her little feet kicked around. "I missed you." He hugged her tight but tried not to crush her while he was at it. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too!" She gave his cheek a long, drawn out kiss in return, even adding a "mwah" to it to make him laugh. "Mommy said she and doo doo head might have to stay gone a whole week! I get to stay with you longer Daddy!"

"Oh yeah?" Seth looked to Paige for confirmation. The Brit was just getting Lucy's bags out of the car while Corey stayed in the car. Things between him and Seth tended to get tense real fast so they just looked to avoid each other. "What's going on?"

"Corey's mom is having emergency surgery," Paige replied. She walked over and set the bags down at Seth's feet. "He wants to be there when she goes in and then to get her adjusted when she gets out." She looked past Seth and nodded to Roman, who was standing on the porch. "I was gonna call you and tell you but I forgot." She shrugged and moved a stray piece of hair out of Lucy's face. "I didn't figure you'd mind this surprise."

"Not at all." He adjusted Lucy so he was holding her in one arm and then bent down and picked up the bags. This was actually gonna really fuck with their schedules since he and Roman both worked but he wasn't about to say that. Getting time with his kid was hard enough as it was. He wasn't going to stand there and say something that would sabotage him in the future. "We'll have fun this week." He peered around Paige and nodded to Corey. "Tell him I hope his mom gets better."

"I will." She leaned in and kissed Lucy goodbye before turning around and heading back to the car. Seth watched her go, happy that things had gone well this time. Lucy waved until the car was out of sight, pouting because she was young and didn't understand why her mommy and daddy didn't love each other or live together like others did. Seth had tried to explain to her that sometimes there were mommies and daddies who were better off finding new people and living with them but it was a concept that really went over her head. She turned to him to start in on the usual questions and he decided to cut her off.

"What do you think about going to the zoo tomorrow?"

Brown eyes that matched his lit right up. "Now Daddy!" She slapped her hands on either side of his cheek and squeezed. "Now now let's go now!"

"They'll be closing soon sweetheart." It was already nearly five and the place shut down at six. "We'll get up first thing tomorrow and spend the whole day. How's that sound?"

Lucy let out a long sigh and Seth had to hide his amusement. The concept of patience was another thing she had a hard time with. It was natural for her age. "You promise?"

"Pinky promise." He hooked his finger through her itty bitty one and kissed it to seal the deal. "Now come on kiddo." He moved her so she was slung over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. She laughed and he smirked, handing off her bags off to the grinning Roman. "I made some cookies for you."

* * *

That night Seth called Cody and had him and Eden meet them at Ricky's Pizza Palace for dinner. The place had a huge arcade/play area for kids and he decided to just throw them into the fire of dealing with a kid. Maybe it wasn't the nicest thing to do, considering the fact that places like this got Lucy completely hyper. But neither Cody or Eden seemed to mind all that much. Cody happily played everything she wanted, which made Lucy one very happy camper. Eden followed them around, her stomach big enough to keep her from being overly active. Roman and Seth watched them the whole time, their hands clapsed together under the table. It still amazed Seth how well their hands fit together. It was such a little thing to fixate on but he couldn't help it. In a rare display of public affection he brought their hands up and kissed each of Roman's fingers one by one. Roman raised his eyebrows but stayed silent when Seth just smiled at him. It wasn't typically their style but sometimes it just had to be done.

Afterwards they dropped Cody and Eden off at their house and then headed home. Seth helped Lucy take a bath and then dressed her in her pajamas. It was past the bed time Paige had set for her but Seth didn't particularly care. He wanted more time with her and she wasn't tired yet. So he carried her downstairs and put on The Little Mermaid for them to watch. Roman joined them and Seth smiled when Lucy chose to cuddle on his lap. Paige always complained that Lucy hated anyone she dated yet took to Roman so well. Seth tried not to point out that she dated raging douchebags and instead said that it probably had to do with the fact that he had been with Roman for as long as she could probably even remember. He wasn't a new stranger coming in. As far as she was concerned he was another daddy and therefore there was no issue to be had.

Halfway through the movie she did fall asleep and Roman took it out to be finished tomorrow. "What do you want to watch?" he asked as he sat back down.

Seth just shrugged. "Anything you want babe." He pulled Lucy fully on to his lap, cradling her like she was still a baby. "Is there a game on?"

Roman shook his head. "Nah." He held the remote up and started flipping through the channels. "I might just go with the news."

That was fine with Seth. He rested his head on Roman's shoulder, closing his eyes and letting himself start to drift off. He was almost fully asleep when the words coming from the TV caught his ear and made his heart drop out from inside his chest.

"This Sunday in our weekly True American Horror Stories special, we're taking a look back at the Roberts Park Massacre, where the psychologically disturbed teen Dean Ambrose murdered six of his classmates before being gunned down while trying to murder a seventh. Ambrose has been locked up in-"

"God damn it!" Roman switched the channel but it was too late. Seth had sat up, his face filled with complete horror. "Babe just calm down..."

"Why do they gotta bring this up again?" Seth tried to keep his voice down. The last thing he needed to do was wake Lucy up. But the words were stirring around in his brain, digging up the memories he had been trying so hard to repress. "Why can't they just leave it alone?" He looked at Roman desperately. "This shouldn't be someone's entertainment for the fucking night. Dean fucking slaughtered them all and he...he...I barely fucking lived Ro." He swallowed hard and shook his head. "I want to just fucking forget about it. Why can't they just let it go?"

Roman had no good answer for that. He wanted to have it. Seth could plainly see that. But there was nothing he could really say that would make any of it better. So instead he just pulled Seth in and held him tight, planting a series of little kisses on the top of his head. "You don't need to focus on any of it," he finally said. "None of that shit matters alright? You don't need to let their need to drag shit up again drag you down. You survived that shit and built a good life for yourself. You got me and you got Lucy." Roman's fingers lightly played with his hair. "None of that other shit has to matter."

Seth nodded along to the words. He wanted to fully believe those words. Roman wasn't really wrong. He had survived and despite the nightmares that didn't really die, he had moved on. He had built relationships. He had a daughter. He had a job. He had an actual life because he had stopped running and hiding like he had before. But it was still his first instinct to do it. He wasn't even sure if he had really moved on or if he was just really good at pretending and going through the motions. His thoughts on the matter tended to change with his mood. "I love you." He didn't want to tell Roman anything else that was going on in his head. Not being strong was what had helped fuck up his relationship with Paige. He didn't want the same thing happening again.

Roman smiled and tilted Seth's head back so they could kiss. "I love you too."

* * *

It was days before Dean was allowed to be unrestrained again. And even after they let him be free it was only during the day and after he had been so heavily medicated that he could barely move. During the nights he was strapped even more tightly to his bed than before. He was sure he was about to have circulation problems in his wrists but did anyone care? No. They were just leaving him here, no doubt getting revenge on him for that stunt he pulled on Regal. He hadn't seen his long time doctor since and had the distinct feeling that he wouldn't be seeing him again. At least not any time soon. "Fucking Regal," he muttered under his breath. He struggled against his restraints, not caring that his wrists were starting to bleed. He couldn't even feel it. All he could feel was the rage bubbling inside his chest. Whatever they had doped him up with earlier was wearing off and if he could just get the restraints to have a little more give in them he could get out of them. He knew it. "Fucking Orton." He yanked his legs against their restraints as well. "Fucking Seth..."

An alarm with it and the sound of people screaming soon came with it. He stopped struggling and turned his head as much as he could towards the door. The smell of smoke drifted in past his doorway. Fire. There was a fucking fire. His struggling renewed in earnest. The fucking place was on fire. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. The voices screamed at him, fueling his panic even more. He wouldn't even get to rot in here for the rest of his life. He would just burn to death and nothing but ashes would be left in his wake. A frustrated scream escaped him. He had to get out. Had to be free. Had to not burn.

His door opened and one of the doctors came in. He didn't even know which one it was. All of them were faceless to him with the exception of Regal. "Come on Ambrose." The doctor came over to the bed, doing his best to calmly undo his restraints. Normally he was never approached alone but the circumstances called for a break of protocol. "Let me get you out of here."

Dean went still and let himself be freed. The moment he was pulled up to his feet he struck, his hands grabbing the doctors shirt roughly and sinking his teeth into his throat. A strangled scream left the older man and he tried to push Dean off. Dean refused to budge and only clamped down harder. When he finally tore his mouth away blood spurted everywhere and the man went limp in his arms. Dean let him drop down to the floor and spit the hunk of skin out of his mouth. The blood was warm and metallic in taste and he took just a second to lick his lips and savor the taste.

_Run_, the voices scream. _Run run run._

His feet obeyed the command. He ran into the hall, the smoke and chaos leaving it so nobody even noticed where he was going or even that he was alone. He ran outside and picked up speed from there, scaling the wall that surrounded the place and landing with a thump on the other side. From there he ran again, a crazed howl coming from deep down in the pit of his stomach.

Nothing tasted sweeter than freedom.


	7. Chapter 7

The streets hadn't actually changed that much in all the time Dean had been locked up. A few little things here and there almost threw him off, but then he would find something to put him back on track. He had no idea what time it was but it was late. Clouds covered the moon up above and the air smelled of the rain that was fast approaching. He knew he was going to have to hide real soon. Someone was going to notice he got away and they would all come looking for him. He would even be better off running now. If he got far enough away they would never find him. But he didn't. His feet continued on the journey, not stopping until he got the nice little house on the corner of Willow and Avenue B. Seth lived here. Or he did once upon a time. A few times before that night in the woods Dean had followed the other boy home and just watched him through the night. Seth had possessed everything he hadn't. A nice house, a nice family, a nice brain that didn't make him feel like a prisoner in his own body...back then he had been too infatuated with Seth to hate him for it. But now the knowledge burned inside him, making him want to spit fire. Seth had made them take him away and now he had to suffer.

They all had to suffer.

A slightly cracked window provided Dean the opportunity he needed to get into the house. He opened it enough to slip and quickly shut it behind him. He was right in the living room, the house dark and eerie in its quietness. Every step he took made the floor creak. He stopped every few steps, listening for any sign that he had woken someone up. So far nothing. He let out a little sigh of relief before continuing on towards the kitchen. He went ahead and hit the lights, more brazen here because he needed to see just what he was doing. The floor didn't creak here, giving him the cover of silence. He opened a couple of drawers, browsing through what was inside before his eyes swept across the counter. Back towards the sink laid an array of very large and very sharp knives. Perfect. He grabbed the first one and pulled it from its holder carefully. It felt good in his hand. Almost like it had been made for him. He brought it up to his face and ran the blade over his cheek. The mere graze left a trickle of blood behind. He wiped it away with the back of his hand and crept back out of the room.

The staircase seemed to stretch for miles as he began to climb up it. His free hand clutched the railing and he tried to keep his breathing as quiet as possible. He was almost to the top of the steps when he heard a toilet flushing. He stopped dead in his tracks, nearly dropping the knife as his heart tried to leap out of his chest. he sound of water from a sink followed and he kept his eyes straight ahead, mind racing and scrambling of what he was going to do if he got caught. The bathroom door opened and a figure emerged. He knew right away it was too big to be Seth himself. It had to be his dad. And while he walked towards Dean, his eyes stayed on the ground until he slipped back into his bedroom. Dean let out a soft sigh of relief. Good. That was good. He finished his ascent of the stairs and crept down the hall. Before he reached the room he could hear the mix of snores coming from Seth's parents. A voice in his head tried to tell him to wait. To make sure Seth's dad had truly fallen asleep once again. But he couldn't wait. He had to act now. His body screamed for action and he couldn't deny it.

He slipped into the bedroom and went to the bed. Seth's mother laid face down on her pillow, the blankets pulled down low to show off her purple night gown. His father laid sprawled out on top of the blankets, his hairy chest slowly rising and falling with every breath he took. Dean tightened his grip on the knife and raised it above his head. He brought it down with one smooth motion, driving the blade directly into Seth's father's heart.

The man opened his eyes, brown orbs filled with shock and confusion. Dean sneered and yanked the knife back out so he could drive it back in again. And again. And again. An animalistic snarl escaped him as he kept bringing the knife down. It wasn't until Seth's mom screamed and rolled out of bed that he even noticed she was up. He snarled again, scrambling over the bed and lunging at her before she could get far. He got a hold of her but his momentum sent him too far to actually land on top of her and he hit the wall back first. She screamed and threw elbows back wildly, catching him right in the ribs in the process. She ripped herself out of his grip and ran for the door. The screams coming from her felt like an ice pick directly in his ear drums. He had to make her stop. He had to make her fucking stop.

Her hand got on the doorknob before he caught her again. He grabbed her by the hair and yanked her back roughly. "Where's Seth?" he growled. He tilted her body back and got right in her face. "Where's Seth?"

His only answer was a scream.

"WHERE'S SETH?" He put the knife to her throat to force the issue. If Seth hadn't come running to see what the screaming was about then there was no way he could be here. That much he knew for sure. "WHERE'S SETH?"

Her eyes were filled with sheer terror but she still didn't answer him. Her fingernails found his face instead, raking down in defiance to protect her son. Dean howled in pain and sheer rage took him over. He moved the knife away from her throat and buried it in her stomach, lips turning into a smile as the realization of what just happened hit her. "I'll find him," he promised. He twisted the knife deeper, liking the choked out scream that left her now. "He can't hide." He pulled the knife out and let her drop to the floor. "Can't run. Can't hide." He wiped the knife clean on his shirt and started looking around. There had to be a clue around here that would tell him where Seth was. He still had a few hours until sunrise. Plenty of time to find what he needed.

"Can't run can't hide," he muttered as he tore the house apart. "Can't run can't hide. Can't run can't hide..."

* * *

"Come on Daddy!" Lucy tugged on Seth's hand impatiently. They were at the zoo with Roman, who had a hold of Seth's other hand. They had gotten up first thing so they could beat the crowd. The cat exhibit had been hit first thing they had gone to and the bears had soon followed. Now they were heading for the actual petting zoo part and Lucy was all but trying to run for it. "Come on come on come on!"

Seth chuckled. "Relax pumpkin. The animals aren't going anywhere."

She turned her head back to give him a haughty look. "They will if you don't hurry up!"

It was Roman's turn to chuckle now. "Yeah Seth. Don't you know anything?" He let go of Seth's hand so he could scoop Lucy up and put her up on his shoulders. "Come on. I'll get you there faster."

"Yeah!" Lucy clapped her hands as Roman jogged up ahead, leaving Seth to shake his head. He didn't run to catch up, instead keeping up a more leisurely pace. It was a nice day and they had no other plans but this so why rush?

By the time he caught up with them, Roman had Lucy over by the lambs and the goats. Both of them were petting a lamb that stopped right at Lucy's feet while Roman was oblivious to the fact that a baby goat was chewing on the back of his pant leg. Seth almost said something about that but stopped himself. The little animal was too cute to have its fun spoiled so soon.

"Daddy look!" Lucy patted the lamb on its back and grinned. "It's a llama!"

Seth frowned. "A llama? No baby that's a lamb."

"No, it's a llama!" She turned back and patted Roman on the stomach. "Papa said it was a llama and HE'S smart!"

Seth gave Roman an absolutely flabbergasted look. "It's a lamb! How can you tell her it's a llama?" Before Roman could answer the insult Lucy had laid on him actually stuck in his brain and he pouted. "And since when am I not smart?"

Roman chuckled and pulled Seth in for a one arm hug. "You're plenty smart." He kissed the side of his head. "I'm just a better master at animals than you are."

"Oh please. You can't even figure out when a goat's eating your damn pants."

"What?" Roman looked down to see what he was talking about. "Hey!"

Seth smirked and Lucy threw her head back and laughed obnoxiously. "Can we keep him Daddy?" She reached behind Roman's legs and pet the goat on the top of its head. "Huh? Can we keep him?"

"A goat's not a house pet sweetie." Seth cringed at the immediate dejection on her face. Disappointing his child was never something he liked to do. "What about a puppy or a kitty?"

Her expression brightened right back up. "Puppy!" She hopped up and down happily. "Puppy puppy puppy!"

"I'm so glad we discussed this," Roman said with a raised eyebrow.

Seth cringed. Shit. He hadn't thought about asking Roman. "Sorry..."

Roman shook his head. "Nah. A puppy would be good." He scooped Lucy back up and balanced her on his hip. "You want to go get some stuff to feed these guys?"

"Yes please." She reached out for Seth. "Come on Daddy. Feed them with us."

Seth started to agree when his phone ringing interrupted him. "Go get the stuff. I'll help you in a minute."

"Okay." She tugged on the end of Roman's ponytail. "Onward march!"

Seth chuckled before taking his phone out of his pocket. The number on the screen was his mother's so he chose to actually take it. "Hey Mama."

The only sound on the other end was heavy breathing. He frowned. "Mom?" He stepped away from the animals and the other kids running around. The breathing just continued and he felt a cold knot start to form in the pit of his stomach. "Mom what's wrong?" The only thing he could picture was that she had a heart attack or stroke or something and somehow dialed him instead of 911. "Mom!"

More breathing. That deep, heavy breathing that didn't even sound like it was coming from her. "Mom!" he said again. His voice raised, making several other people (including Roman) look over at him. "Mom talk to me!"

"Hi Seth."

Seth swore he felt his heart stop right in that moment. The raspy male voice that greeted him was the last one he ever wanted to hear again. "Dean?"

"Mhmmmmm."

"Wh-wh...how?" His heart was going again but now it was pounding hard and fast. Too fast. It was going so fast it was about to burst out of his chest. "How did you get that phone?" His grip on his phone tightened to the point he was nearly breaking it. "Where's my mother? What did you do to her?"

"You locked me up Seth." Dean just ignored his questions completely. "And they hurt me in there. They hurt me real bad."

"You deserved it." Seth's world was spinning. He couldn't breathe. His chest was so tight he couldn't get in a single breath. "Where's my mother? What did you do to my parents?"

"Why don't you come home and see?" The sound of rustling paper followed his voice. "Florida's all far away. I don't want to travel."

The phone slipped out of Seth's hand and bounced against the pavement below. The world around him was spinning. He could hear Lucy and Roman yelling for him but their voices didn't really register. Not when he was free falling into a black abyss of a nightmare.

Dean got out.

Dean got to his parents.

Dean knew where he was.

And everything went black.


	8. Chapter 8

Despite being wrapped up in the biggest blanket that could be found and having a steaming cup of hot tea in his hands, Seth felt unbelievably cold and shaky. Roman sat right next to him, his arm around him and holding him tight. Lucy was in the other room, having been told to play with her toys and leave them to talk to their guests. Their guests were none other than Detective Jericho and Detective Stratus (who had the last name Jericho on her badge now but Seth wasn't too focused on that). They had flown out to see him, having been one of the first to get to his parents' house once the bloody scene Dean had left behind had been found by his aunt. They hadn't gone into details about what Dean had done and he was grateful for that. He didn't want to know. What he had seen all those years ago in the woods painted the picture of his parents' fate. He had already been sick over it several times. Roman was trying to tell him to not to do it but he was blaming himself anyway. Dean had done it because of him. That was abundantly clear. Dean had wanted to get his attention and now he certainly had it.

The question now was what the fuck was he supposed to do?

"He can't go home." Roman was talking to Stratus and Jericho like he wasn't even in the room. It was normally something he absolutely despised but at the moment he didn't mind so much. He didn't feel like he could contribute anything helpful anyway. "That's what the son of a bitch wants."

"We know," Jericho agreed. He and Stratus sat right across from Roman and Seth, their cups of coffee mostly untouched. "We could make arrangements to have his parents moved down here. If it's the bodies you want or just ashes..." he stopped and winced at the look on Seth's face. "Or we could have the rest of your family take care of those arrangements and you can go up there after we catch him."

"If you catch him." Seth couldn't stop the bitterness from creeping into his voice. "Why are you even here talking to me? You should be looking for him."

"Someone had to see you," Stratus said gently. "And we're working with the local police to protect you and your family in case Dean decides to come here."

Those words were just fucking horrific to hear. Tea spilled all over his lap as his hands started to shake. Roman quickly grabbed the cup before it could all go and he held it up to Seth's lips. "Drink."

Seth did what he was told. He was fairly certain Roman had spiked the tea with a sedative or something but he wasn't looking to actually say anything on the matter. Being doped up was probably the only thing keeping him remotely stable.

"Even if he's on the move, odds are he'll get himself caught before he reaches here." Stratus spoke again, doing her best to make him somehow feel better. "This story's got national attention. CNN and every other major news station is talking about this. They're putting his picture everywhere. Anyone who watches the news is going to see his face and someone is sure to spot him. There's no way he's going to get all the way across the country without attracting attention."

She had a point there. Dean was out of his mind and there was thousands of miles between Iowa and Florida. That left a lot of room for Dean to go more off his rocker and get himself caught. But then again, maybe he was just more determined to get to Seth and would find a way to control himself. "I need to go lay down," he mumbled. He stood up and let the blanket slip off of him so he could bail out of the room faster. He went straight to his and Roman's bedroom, not shutting the door all the way before he dived into bed. Laying down wasn't really going to make him feel better. It hadn't yet anyway. But it beat sitting there and actually talking about any of this.

"Daddy?"

Seth propped himself up on his elbow and looked to the door. Lucy was standing there, a teddy bear tucked under one arm and a stuffed monkey tucked under the other. "What is it sweetie?"

"Can I lay with you?"

If he was going to be honest he really did want to be alone. But he didn't even think about refusing her. He threw the blankets back and patted the spot next to him. She took a running start and leaped on to the bed, scrambling to get into place so he could throw the covers over her. They snuggled in together, his arm wrapped protectively around her. "I miss Grandma and Grandpa," she admitted after they got comfortable.

"I do too."

"When are they coming back?" She looked at him so hopefully that it just broke his heart.

"They're not sweetie." He knew Roman had explained that to her but she was young. The concept of death wasn't one she could really get her head around.

"Why did the bad man take them away?"

Seth stiffened uncomfortably. "Were you listening in on the grown up talk?"

Her eyes shifted around and looked everywhere but at him. "No..."

He let out a long sigh and kissed her forehead. "You don't need to worry about any bad men alright? Me and Papa will protect you."

"Okay." She snuggled against his chest and drifted off to sleep. He closed his own eyes but didn't actually drift off. He just let the sedative in his system and the sound of her breathing carry him off into a mindless, Deanless trance.

* * *

Dean shoved his hands into his pockets and kept his head down as he walked along the side of the road. One of his mother's old boyfriends had forced him to help him steal cars when he had been thirteen so he actually did know how to drive. Maybe he didn't know how to do it particularly well, but he could manage. Upon realizing that Seth wasn't going to come back and not having anywhere he could really hide with the police swarming around and searching for him, he had stolen a car from an elderly couple and started heading down for Florida. He made it just past Springfield, Illinois before the car had broken down on him. It was the dead of night and pouring rain. Perfect for cover until he could find shelter or another vehicle but it was far from ideal for traveling on foot. He could barely see a foot in front of him and the rain had already soaked completely through his clothes. If he wasn't careful he was going to get sick. That had happened to him a lot before he had got locked away and he hadn't liked it one bit.

He heard the car coming before he turned around and got blinded by the lights. He stumbled back a few steps, his hand going up to his face to try to regain his sight. Part of his brain screamed to run. These could be the cops. Cops had guns. They would either shoot him down or take him away again. But his feet refused to move and he just stood there, struck dumb and soaked to the bone.

The car stopped in front of him and much to his relief, it wasn't the cops. The driver's side door opened and a young blonde girl stuck herself halfway out the car to look at him. "Need a ride?"

Dean blinked. He wasn't sure what threw him off more: her Australian accent or the offer itself. "What?"

"You want a ride?" She motioned for him to come closer. Even from where he was she radiated a pure, bubbly, wholesome aura that made him squirm on the inside. He didn't like being around cheerful people. He either saw it as a total lie or he just didn't know what to do with it. But he couldn't just stay out there in the rain so he walked forward, getting into the passenger's seat she directed him to. The warmth of the car was such a relief though in the long run, sitting in his wet clothes wasn't going to be a joy to do at all. In the backseat were two sleeping black girls, the smaller one resting her head on the taller one's shoulder.

"Where's your car?" the blonde asked as she got back in herself and slammed the door shut.

He just shrugged.

"You're just hitch hiking then huh?"

He nodded.

"Where are you going?"

"Florida." He shifted around and picked at his jeans. He didn't want to talk. She was still too cheerful and it was bugging him.

"We are too." She motioned to herself and the other two girls. "You can stay with us. I don't mind." She reached over and offered her hand. "I'm Emma."

Dean eyed her hand warily. He didn't want to take it. He didn't want to be touched right now and he certainly didn't want to tell her his real name. The voices told him that was a bad idea and he scrambled to come up with something else. "Mox," he finally said, pulling a name from one of his mom's old skeezy boyfriends.

"Oooh. I like that." She didn't seem fazed in the slightest bit by his refusal to shake hands. Either her cheerfulness was unbreakable or she was a bit daft as well. "It's so...punk rock." She giggled and pulled back out on to the road. "It's not really my style but it's cool. You seem cool."

Dean just stared at her, wondering if she would still find him cool if he smashed her head through the window. He contemplated doing just that for a long moment before slumping down and closing his eyes instead. For now he was too tired to actually do anything bad. He would just enjoy the free ride instead.


	9. Chapter 9

"Are you fucking kidding me Paige?"

"Seth we just got here! I can't come all the way back now."

"Your daughter could be in danger!" Seth couldn't even believe the level of selfishness Paige was displaying. Or maybe he just didn't want to. He couldn't exactly say he was shocked at the moment. She had never been accused of winning any mother of the year awards for being mother of the year. He didn't know if she just wasn't ultimately cut out for it or if it had anything to do with Lucy being his child. Whatever it was, it made her totally resistant to the mere idea of getting Lucy and getting her as far away from here as possible.

"You act like this guy's going to come barreling in the front door!" Paige groaned in exasperation.

"Uhhhh yeah. I think he fucking will. Seth paced back and forth across the kitchen, not noticing Cody coming in. He and Eden had arrived earlier in the morning, looking to help any way they could. They had found out about his parents from the news and Roman had filled them in on what they were missing. Neither of them knew what to say and Seth wasn't coming off as approachable. Despite trying not to, he could feel himself shutting down like he had before. The tactic had tortured his parents and made AJ, Phil, Kofi, Kaitlyn and Dolph all stop approaching him because they just didn't know what the fuck to do. That wasn't something he wanted to have happen but everything was just spinning out of his control. He hated it. He hated it so god damn much.

"You have the police there protecting you," Paige reminded him. "I'm really sorry about your parents. I am. But you have protection that they didn't. There's no way he's going to get past them to get you or Lucy. You're safe."

"That's what you fucking think."

"Then go hide out somewhere with Roman and her until they catch him. There's no way it can take that long."

Seth stopped pacing and leaned against the counter. He finally noticed Cody but barely acknowledged his presence. He was too focused on trying to decipher whatever was being said to Paige in the background. Her hand was clearly over the mouthpiece of her phone so he couldn't hear what she was saying but he could tell someone was talking to her. It sounded like Corey but it was too muffled for Seth to know for sure.

"I got to go," Paige said when she finally chose to speak to Seth again. "I'll talk to you later alright?"

"Whatever." Seth was just done with the conversation as a whole. He hung up the phone and tossed it up on the microwave. "Fuck," he muttered. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the counter.

"Anything I can do?" Cody finally asked.

Seth shook his head. "Not really." He turned so he was leaning back against the counter and facing his friend. "Unless you know how to make my ex not be a selfish cunt. Or you know, get a time machine so I can go back and make my parents not be dead."

"Yeah I um...yeah I have nothing for that." Cody shifted around uncomfortably. He really did want to help but there was just nothing for him to do. "I could like...well I can't really cook. I could make Eden cook."

"If she'll make something for Lucy later I'd appreciate it." Seth didn't want to just reject the idea completely. He didn't want to be that big of an asshole.

"What about you?"

"Not hungry."

Those words were followed by a long stretch of silence. They both just stood there, Cody trying to find the right words to say while Seth tried to resist the urge to bail out of the room. He wanted a smoke. Or a drink. A drink was what they needed but they had nothing. "You think you could go get me some beer or something?" There it was. Something he could let Cody do and make him feel like he was useful. And he could get the alcohol he wanted without having an argument with Roman about buying it. The only part of the plan that wasn't perfect was the fact beer wasn't really strong enough for him. But it would be better than nothing.

"Yeah sure." Cody was all to eager to agree to the idea. "You want like a whole case?"

"Yeah. That would be great." Seth watched Cody go but waited until he heard the door open and shut before going to the window to watch him the rest of the way off. A police car was parked across the street and he could faintly see two people sitting in it. The little kids who lived in the house it was by were trying to peek into the car and he almost smiled. Once Cody's car was completely out of sight he went to the couch and laid down. He could hear Roman playing with Lucy in the other room and part of him wanted to go join them. He felt like an asshole for pulling away from them but he couldn't muster the energy to really pretend that everything was okay. Nothing was okay at all. The constant paranoia was eating away at him. Every shadow made him jump. Every unexpected sound was Dean trying to break into the house. Every time he closed his eyes he was back in the forest and Dean was on him. Dean was raping him and trying to kill him and he could still feel it all like it was actually happening all over again.

His stomach lurched and he scrambled back up to his feet. He stumbled to the bathroom, barely throwing himself over the toilet before he began to puke. Every heave was terribly violent. His arms shook the entire time, leaving him barely able to hold himself up as he puked. Everything Roman had forced him to eat earlier left him and tears burned his eyes.

"Daddy!" Lucy's shrill cry hurt his ear. "PAPA! DADDY'S SICK! HELP DADDY!"

Seth tried to tell her he was fine. He didn't want her getting scared or worried over him. But he couldn't even speak now. His stomach kept flipping around and he heaved again and again, not able to stop until he felt Roman's arms wrap around him.

"I got you baby." Roman grabbed his hair and pulled it up, nuzzling the back of Seth's neck as he did so. "It's alright." He kissed his tattoos softly. "Just let it out. Let it all out."

Seth gasped for breath, sobs escaping him once he could breathe again. He let himself go limp in Roman's arms, ducking his head down to at least try to hide that he was crying. He didn't fool either one of them. Roman just held him more tightly and Lucy joined them, hugging Seth's waist and resting her head on his chest.

"Don't cry Daddy." She patted his side sympathetically. "You didn't throw up on your shoes like me. That's good Daddy."

Seth finally managed to crack a smile while Roman snickered. "Thanks kiddo."

"You're welcome." She smiled as she looked up at him. "No kisses."

"No kisses?"

She wrinkled her nose. "You have vomit breath."

He stopped to really taste what was on his tongue and grimaced. Yeah this was bad. "Can I have a kiss after I brush my teeth?"

She tilted her head before shrugging and making herself more comfortable. "I'll think about it."

* * *

The car ride had taken an uncomfortable turn after Naomi and Cameron woke up to find that Emma had picked Dean up. Neither one of them were at all thrilled with having a hitchhiker in their midst. Cameron in particular had been vocal with her displeasure. She was up front with Naomi, who was driving now. She kept glancing back through the rearview mirror to give Dean dirty looks and he didn't know how much more he could take. He wanted to just go up there and rip her eyeballs out of their sockets but Emma wasn't giving him any time to do so.

"Here." After going on and on about some sorority sister bullshit (they were meeting one of the other girls in Tampa actually though Dean had already forgotten the bitch's name), she was now trying to feed him some weird snacks. "Try these."

Dean reluctantly took it, frowning at the packaging. He wasn't sure what the fuck a Tim Tam was and he didn't think he wanted it.

"It's just chocolate," Emma informed him. "My parents sent me a whole bunch of stuff from back home." She grabbed her bag that was by her feet and opened it, showing off the array of treats inside. "You'll like it I swear."

Dean eyed it warily but the rumbling in his stomach made him give in. He ripped the package open and put the first chocolate biscuit in his mouth. Much to his surprise, it actually was really good. He shoved the rest of them into his mouth, now realizing how truly hungry he was. Emma giggled and watched him stuff his cheeks like a hamster.

"That's disgusting," Cameron said rather snidely.

Dean just glared at her with narrowed eyes. The first chance he got he was ripping out her insides and shoving them in her mouth. That he knew for damn sure.

"Oh stop." Emma kicked the back of Cameron's seat before handing Dean one of the bottles of water. "He's hungry. I don't think he's eaten in a long time."

Cameron glared at her and started to say something nasty but Naomi pinched her thigh to shut her up. As unhappy as she was, she wasn't the nasty confrontational type that Cameron was. It didn't win her any points with Dean because he could tell she was whispering about him behind his back but it fooled Emma into thinking she was nice. She really was dumb but she fed him and was nice to him so if anyone was going to come out of this car not murdered at his hand, it was most likely going to be her.

"So why are you going to Florida?" Emma asked yet again. She had been trying to get the reason out of him but so far he had refused to say. "You got family down there?"

He shook his head.

"You going for a girl?"

He shook his head again.

"A boy?"

His thoughts went to Seth and he instinctively froze.

"Awww that's so cute!"

She had no idea how wrong she was there. There was nothing cute about what he wanted to do to Seth. He hadn't really formulated a real plan as to how he would get Seth once he got down to Florida. Having to go down there was giving Seth all the time in the world to run and hide. And if that was happening then he didn't know what the hell he was going to do. It was hard to focus on that scenario though. His mind was too busy picturing what he was going to do once he had his hands on Seth. He wanted to take everything from the other man. He wanted to make him scream. His screams were so pretty the first time around. He could hear them in his head now and he felt himself shiver. He wanted to have that and he wanted it now. It wasn't fair that he had to wait. He had been waiting for ten years. Ten long, long years. Seth took all those years away from him. He had thought Seth was different but Seth had been a trap. And he would make him pay for fooling him.

He couldn't keep track of how long they drove for. He drifted off to sleep at some point, not waking up until Emma roused him. The girls had decided they wanted to take a break from driving so they could swim and enjoy a bed for the night They had rented two rooms, one for them and one for him. He took the key Emma offered him without argument but when she wasn't looking he swiped her key and put it in his pocket with his own. He could hear Cameron and Naomi whispering about ditching him before he woke up in the morning and he nearly lunges at the both of them right there. They looked at him just like everyone else did back in school. They were just like the nurses who would whisper and poke at him while he was sedated and restrained. But he didn't have to take that anymore. And he wouldn't.

He could hear the girls talking amongst themselves in the next room. Emma was taking off to swim and it seemed like she still hadn't discovered that her key was missing. He waited on still, not doing anything until he heard the sound of the shower running. He moved quickly then, taking the knife out of the inside pocket of his jacket. It had been tucked in there the whole time, just begging to be used. He slipped out of his room and into the other as quietly as he could, fully prepared to just charge if someone started screaming. His only greeting as he came in was silence. Cameron laid on the nearest bed, stretched out on her stomach. Her eyes were glued to a magazine and she had headphones tucked firmly into her ears. Dean let the door swing shut behind him and crept to the bed. Her feet swung along to the beat of the blaring song. She didn't see him as he came to a stop at her side. She didn't see him raise the knife above his head but boy did she feel it as he buried it in her back. A scream escaped her and he quickly slapped a hand over her mouth. The shower was still going so he hoped it was loud enough for Naomi to not have heard that. He wasn't ready to deal with her yet.

"Fucking bitch," he muttered. He yanked the knife out only to drive it back down in her again. "Fucking bitch!" He lost count of how many times he stabbed her. Blood was going everywhere, staining his hands, his clothes and the blankets below her. It wasn't until he heard the shower stop that he quit moving his arm. He panted for breath, his eyes taking a quick glance at the bathroom door before looking down at what he just did. The exhilerated feeling coursing through him was intoxicating. He couldn't stop now. No way.

He ran for the bathroom next. He burst through the door, jumping on her just as she was getting out of the shower. He wrapped a bloody hand around her throat and let his momentum push her back into the shower. They fell into the tub together, her head cracking against the wall while he fell right on top of her. He drove the knife into her stomach and clamped his teeth down on her mouth. He tore at her face viciously, wanting to take her lips right off. He tasted blood and he swallowed it down greedily. She tasted sweet. Not as sweet as Seth had but she wasn't too bad. And unlike Cameron, he watched the light leave her eyes and actually focused on her body going limp.

_Two down, one to go._

He pushed himself off Naomi and got out of the tub. His arms and legs were shaking. Nobody had come banging on the door yet to see what the noise was. Maybe he needed just leave though before that could happen. The keys to the car were around there somewhere. He could just take it and go.

_Emma knows who you are. Kill her. She can't talk if she dies._

_Someone could have called the cops already. They could be coming right now. They'll put you away. They'll lock you up and you won't get out this time._

_Get the blonde. Kill the blonde._

_Forget the blonde. Run. Get to Seth before they get you._

_Kill._

_Run._

_Kill._

_Run._

He put his hands over his ears, a scream of frustration leaving his lips. He couldn't deal with this. He could take the voices talking to him but the arguing was too much. It left him so unsure of what to do. He could feel them pulling him apart from the inside and he slammed both of his fists against his head. He had to make them shut up. The one voice was right. He couldn't stay put. The girls had screamed and there were people in the nearby rooms. They could have easily called the cops already and he was just letting himself be a sitting duck while waiting around for Emma. He needed to put distance between him and this place and he had to do it now.

He stumbled out of the bathroom and searched desperately for the car keys. He found them in Naomi's purse and he used the sliding glass door to get out of the room. The room had a patio attached to it and he carefully looked past the wooden gate around it to make sure the coast was clear. It was and he sprinted for the car, his heart hammering inside his chest. If anyone looked his way now they would know what he did. The blood covering his body made it more than obvious. But he didn't stop to think about that. Instead he jumped into the car and tore out of the parking lot, his heart still hammering inside his chest. Seth. He had to focus on getting to Seth. Seth. Yes. He had to get Seth. He didn't have time to mess around with girls anymore. Seth was what he wanted and Seth was what he was going to get.


	10. Chapter 10

The days and nights passed and there was no sign of Dean being captured. Nobody knew whether he possessed a magical ability to avoid capture or if it was all just dumb luck. Or perhaps, like how nobody cared enough to get him help when he had been younger, they didn't care enough to try too hard to catch him. All the cops and detectives and whoever Seth talked to swore everything that could be done was being done but Seth had a hard time believing it. Dean was brutal and insane but he wasn't Harry fucking Houdini. He wasn't Albert fucking Einstein. He could not be smart enough or such a fabulous escape artist that he could truly still be running free without some negligence going on. And it just made Seth so fucking angry. His entire life had been torn apart by Dean's actions. People were still fucking dying. Yet everyone was being just fucking useless. He wanted to just step up and do something himself. Something needed to be done but he didn't know what he could do. It all felt so fucking hopeless. They were all just waiting for Dean to show up and try to kill them all. Roman still seemed to have faith that the police would catch him before he got here. Or maybe he just faked it really well because one of them had to. He was the rock of their entire relationship and Seth felt like shit for being so weak and scared. Even if he had every right to be it didn't seem fair to just expect Roman to hold it all together.

The middle of the night saw Roman finding Seth in the living room watching the news yet again. He sat cross legged in the chair, brown eyes glued to the screen. He had seen this same report a half a dozen times already. Dean had gotten picked up by three college sorority sisters, none of whom had known who he was. Two of the girls, Naomi Knight and Cameron Andrew had gotten killed by him when they had stopped in a Motel 6. Emma Dashwood, the third girl, had gotten lucky and had been swimming when Dean had struck. News crews everywhere were looking to get a word with her but so far there had been nothing said by her. Despite knowing how dumb it was for her and her friends to pick up Dean, he felt sorry for her. They hadn't had any way of knowing the monster they were letting in. They probably thought they were being nice by giving the guy a ride. And look where it fucking got them.

"Babe." Roman knelt down and blocked Seth's view of the television. His long black hair hung loosely down his shoulders. He had on a grey tank top and a pair of blue boxers, his typical sleeping attire when they didn't just sleep naked. "Come on. You know you can't do this to yourself."

Seth hung his head in shame. "I know." He rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I just...it's just so hard. This waiting."

"They'll catch him," Roman assured him.

"When? After he kills us all?"

"Don't talk like that."

"But how can I not? He's fucking coming Ro." Seth reached out and gripped the front of Roman's tank top tightly. "They're not catching him. They should have fucking caught him now. But he's still fucking coming and like, Mom had my fucking address written down in her address book. They fucking said there was a page ripped out of it and I know it had this address on it. If he can figure out how to get here he'll fucking do it."

"And I'll fucking kill him if he does show up." Roman's words weren't a threat. They were a promise. Grey eyes blazed in a way Seth had never seen before. His large hands grabbed Seth's face and held it tight. "You and Lucy are everything to me. You think I'm going to let anything happen to you guys?" He shook his head before Seth could reply. "Even if he gets here, he'll have to get through me before he gets to either of you." He brushed his thumbs over Seth's cheeks. "You hear me? Don't you think for a second that I wouldn't do anything to protect you."

It wasn't that Seth ever doubted that. He knew Roman well enough to never doubt him. But hearing the words made him feel better than he had since this all started up again. He surged forward, kissing Roman fully on the mouth. His legs wrapped around his body while his arms went around his neck. He held on tight, rocking his hips forward to meet Roman's. Roman let out a low groan. His arms wrapped around Seth's body in return, holding him perfectly compact against his body. Seth wanted to say he loved him. He felt like it needed to be said but the words were stuck somewhere deep inside of him. Roman knew though. He kissed Seth harder, his grip tightening so he could keep a hold of Seth as he stood up. Normally he would have just taken Seth right there on the chair. But the risk of Lucy waking up was too great so he made the journey to the bedroom. He nearly tripped going up the stairs but regained his balance before they actually fell. They barely made it into the bedroom before Seth unhooked himself from Roman. His hands worked eagerly to get Roman out of his clothes. He needed the skin on skin contact something scary. Roman's hands worked to strip him as well. They stumbled towards the bed, falling on to it in a naked heap. They didn't bother with getting under the covers or hitting the lights. Seth reached out and snagged the bottle of lube they kept nearby. "Don't tease me," he pleaded. There was no way he could handle it. Not tonight.

Roman just nodded. He took the bottle of lube and popped the cap off. He drizzled a generous amount over his fingers and slipped his hand down between their bodies. He slid his fingers in one by one, gently moving them in and out. Seth moaned softly. His hand reclaimed the lube and he worked on getting Roman's shaft nice and slick. There were still words begging to be said. Seth tried to say them again. They were right on the tip of his tongue when Roman kissed them away. Three fingers worked in Seth, turning him into a desperate writing mess. "You ready?" he almost always asked, even when the answer was obvious. Always the gentleman.

Seth nodded. His legs wrapped around the larger man once more. Their lips met once again as Roman slowly entered him. Part of him wanted to go faster. He wanted to just be fucked into forgetting about this awful mess. But there was a sense of security that came with this pace. Roman didn't just give him what he wanted. He gave him what he needed. He was his anchor, his shield, his blanket that kept him safe and warm. It sounded sappy and cliche and whatnot but it was true. It was just so fucking true. He held on to Roman more tightly. He couldn't let him go. If he let him go then he would lose himself completely. He wasn't strong but Roman was. He could make it if Roman helped him. He could be strong. They could get through this.

* * *

Being stuck on babysitting duty wasn't the type of thing Officer Justin Gabriel liked to be stuck with. Sure it tended to be safer than some of the other things he ran into in his line of work, but it was just so dull. He and his partner Tyson Kidd had been given the task of watching the home of one Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns because some lunatic was supposed to be coming barreling toward them. Yet it didn't really feel like that would ever come to pass. It felt like they were stuck in some sort of limbo that there wasn't any way out of. At least not for him. Tyson had gotten a call from his wife Natalya saying their cat had some sort of seizure and took off. Justin hadn't really tried to stop him. The cat was basically their child. Who was he to tell Tyson not to go deal with that situation? It did make for a much more boring night though. He had been reading some magazines he had stolen from his friend Heath's house to pass the time, but they weren't really that interesting. He took a glance out the window every so often, surveying the quiet neighborhood he was parked at. All the lights from the houses had gone out at a reasonable hour. It really was a nice neighborhood. One he would move to once he got married and wanted to pop out a kid or two. He had actually started dating a cute girl named JoJo awhile back, but it was far too early to even think about actually settling down with her. She was just getting over a breakup and he didn't want to tie himself down too soon. If he had learned anything from his parents, it was that getting swept up and marrying to quickly only led to regret and eventually a long and bitter divorce.

He pushed these thoughts from his mind as he turned the page in his magazine. He didn't notice the figure approaching the vehicle from behind. He didn't see the dirty blonde check the page torn from a ruined address book to double check the address. He didn't notice the dangerous cock of the head or the gleam in his deranged blue eyes. It wasn't until the rock hit the back window that he noticed anything at all.

"What the fuck?" He put down the magazine and stepped out of the vehicle. He didn't move fast enough to see the other man dive into the bushes to hide. All he saw was an empty street. He looked up and down it, his back to his own vehicle. This let him miss the other man as he ducked into the passenger's seat. He normally wasn't this unobservant but he was exhausted. Sitting in a car with nothing to do had fried his brain. He looked up and down the street again, finally just shaking his head. "Fucking kids," he muttered. He went back to the car, still looking around even as he got in. It wasn't until he shut the door that he actually noticed the other man in there with him. And then it was too late. He didn't get to grab his gun. He didn't get to call for help. He didn't even get a chance to put his hands up to defend himself. A rusty screwdriver that had been found on the side of the road was driven straight into his neck. A choked off noise escaped him and blood spurted everywhere. Red. There was so much red. It filled his throat, drowning him as he stared at his killer with wide eyes.

Dean Ambrose pulled the knife out just as he started to fade away. And he was gone by the time the lunatic got out of the car and headed to the house he was supposed to protect.


	11. Chapter 11

Dean originally got the address mixed up and tried to break into a different house about three blocks down, leading to him running for it as the security system went off. The screech of the alarm still had his ears ringing, and he walked around Seth's house several times, just cautiously testing the windows and doors. Finding them all locked sent him into a near panic. He had come so far and he was just going to fail. His breathing quickened, whimpering as the voices grew louder. Telling him he was stupid. Telling him that they were going to take him away again and Seth was going to laugh at him. He gripped his hair and almost reached the point of ripping it out when he caught a break. A doggy door was on the back door. Once upon a time, it had been used by Blue, the old German Shepard that had belonged to Roman's former fiancé. Now though, it was all Dean needed to get in. It was a tight fit; despite being scrawny from being underfed at the asylum, he was still a grown man going in a dog door. He just managed, letting out a small sigh of relief once his feet touched the cold kitchen floor. The relief didn't get to last long. The voices were still loud. So impossibly fucking loud. They told him to get up. To hurry. He didn't have Seth yet. Seth could still get away. Seth could still have people take him away. He had to move. He had to get him. Make him pay. Make them all pay.

He pushed himself off the floor and tip toed out of the kitchen. The house was so quiet that his breathing sounded extra loud to his ears. His heart was pounding hard inside his chest. His arms were nearly vibrating from anticipation. The house was about the same size as the one that belonged to Seth's parents yet it felt much bigger. He moved through the living room, nearly tripping over some pink toy car that had been left on the floor. He caught himself and stayed still, listening for any sign that he had been heard. Nobody seemed to be coming. He bit down on his lower lip and carefully picked up the toy. What the hell was it even doing there?

_He has a kid you idiot. _

Dean frowned. A kid. It hadn't truly dawned on him that Seth could have a kid. He had seen pictures of a little girl in passing when he had left Seth's parents' house, but he hadn't paid them any mind. Now he knew he should have. A little kid changed everything. He could lock it away somewhere while he took care of Seth. He could take it with him after and have himself a little sidekick. Or he could kill it. There was an idea there. He could really make Seth hurt. Make him scream and watch and take everything from him. Yeah. He liked that. He could do that.

He pulled out the knife as he climbed the stairs. His palm was sweaty, making it hard to keep his grip on the weapon. His heartbeat and breathing sounded louder than ever. He had to keep moving. Get it done. Get whoever he found first. The doors loomed ominously when he reached the top of the stairs. He started opening them one by one, trying to see any figures in the darkness. The first two doors were nothing. Just an empty bedroom and the bathroom. The third door was the charm. A night light illuminated the darkness, letting him see the purple and pink walls. In the middle of the room he could see a small figure huddled under the covers. The kid. That was who he found first. It figured. He had waited so long for Seth and now he had another delay. It was okay though. He could accept this one. He crept into the room, completely forgetting to shut the door behind him. He went to the side of the bed, taking a moment to just stare at her. She looked a lot like Seth. Too much like him actually. He felt his face shift into a scowl. Fucking Seth. Stupid fucking Seth who tricked him. But not again. Not ever again.

Her eyes suddenly opened and they stared at each other. The seconds dragged on like hours. Finally she screamed, the ear piercing shriek making him recoil.

"DADDY!"

Dean snarled and lunged forward, the blade of the knife heading down for the small body scrambling to get off the bed.

* * *

"DADDY!"

The shriek jarred both Seth and Roman from their slumber. They didn't even take a moment to exchange looks. They just scrambled out of bed, their blood running cold as she screamed again. "LUCY!" Seth let out a scream of his own. He made it to the hallway first "LUCY!"

The hall was dark, but Seth could still see the horrifying scene in front of him. Lucy was running towards him, jumping full speed into his arms and clawing her way up towards his neck. Her shrieks were ear piercing, but the sight of who was stumbling out of her made him not even hear them. Dean. Dean was there. Dean got in. Dean had gone after his daughter...this was a nightmare. It had to be a nightmare. He shook his head and took several steps back, trying to will himself not to believe it. Yet the moment Dean's eyes locked with his, the denial fell away. This was real. It had finally happened. Dean had arrived and he was just as petrified as he had been in his nightmares.

"DADDY RUN!" Lucy cast a look back to see Dean moving closer. "DADDY!"

Roman pushed past Seth and launched himself at Dean. They hit the ground with a mighty thud and almost immediately started to roll. Seth slapped a hand over his mouth as they rolled so far they went right down the stairs. "Roman!" He ran forward, scared of what he was about to see. "ROMAN!" He stopped at the top step, clutching Lucy to his chest as he watched the scene below him. Roman and Dean were on the floor now, Roman's right shoulder bleeding profusely. He had gotten stabbed somewhere in the process of rolling down the stairs with Dean. Dean was snarling like a wild animal, desperately trying to drive the knife back into the larger man once more. Roman's good arm was up, his hand wrapped around Dean's wrist and stopping him from doing it. For now.

"ROMAN!" Seth set Lucy down and pushed her back down the hall. "Go to my room and hide baby. Lock the door and do not come out unless me and Papa tell you to."

"But Daddy!"

"GO!"

Lucy sobbed but ran, slamming the door shut behind her. "Leave him alone!" Seth scrambled down the stairs and launched himself at Dean. It was a stupid idea really. Coming right at a lunatic wielding a very sharp knife was never something he ever thought he'd do. But here he fucking was, grabbing a hold of Dean by the hair and yanking back hard. The only real thought in his mind was to save Roman. He couldn't let him get taken. He wouldn't. He yanked back harder, barely registering the scream that left Dean's mouth. He didn't see that the knife stayed in his hand. He didn't see it coming at him. But he certainly felt it as it was buried in his stomach. The pain was something he hadn't felt in ten long years. It was so bad that he couldn't even scream. He just froze, his wide eyes staring straight at Dean. Dean stared back at him, his blue eyes wild and feral. He gave the knife another twist, moving the blade deeper before yanking it back out.

"SETH!"

Roman's cry sounded so very far away to Seth's ears. He crumbled to the floor in a bloody heap. Roman was yelling again but it still was so very far away. He curled into the fetal position, his hands instinctively trying to put pressure on his wound. He didn't see Dean just managing to kick Roman in the face to stun him. He didn't see Dean licking the blood off the blade. He nearly just blacked out completely. It wasn't until he felt himself being dragged up the stairs that he somewhat regained consciousness. He tried to drag his feet. He tried to call out for Roman. He tried to do something but he couldn't do much of anything. The only thing he managed out of all his efforts was getting his hands over the one that Dean had in his hair.

Dean dragged him up the stairs and down the hall. "Where is she?" he growled. He gave Seth's hair an extra hard yank. "WHERE IS SHE?"

Seth just shook his head. He wasn't telling him that. Dean could do whatever he wanted to him; there was no fucking way he was giving up where Lucy was.

"You want to play Seth?" Dean dragged him into Lucy's room and slammed the door shut behind him. "You want to play?" Dean shook his head and threw him halfway across the room. "I don't want to play." He closed the distance between them once more. "They liked to play." He reared his foot back. "All the DOCTORS." He swung his foot forward, nailing Seth in the ribs with a hard kick. "All the NURSES." He kicked Seth again. "They liked to play. Sticking me with needles..." Another kick. "Pretending they wanted to help." He reached down and grabbed Seth by the hair. "Tricked me just like you." Blue eyes bore holes right through Seth's soul. "They tried to trick me. Just like you tricked me."

Seth just stared at him. He couldn't offer an argument. Not only was it useless, but his body felt too weak and heavy to even open his mouth.

"I thought you were different." Dean's tone was rising. It was a nasal whine now, somehow matching the terrible scowl on his face. "I really thought that you were different. But you're just like everyone else but you're even worse because you're a liar."

Seth whimpered as he was tossed on Lucy's bed. He was going to die. God help him he was going to fucking die.

Dean climbed on to the bed with him, easily swatting Seth's hands away as he tried to push him off. He was muttering something but Seth couldn't understand him now. Seth tried to push him away again. All he got for his efforts were Dean's fingers literally going inside his stab wound, twisting and pulling and clawing to make the wound even deeper. The howl that left him was indescribable. His body went rigid, his hands hovering uselessly as Dean drove his fingers even deeper. The thought of death was no longer scary. He wanted it. He wanted anything to escape this pain. To just escape whatever else Dean had in the cards because he couldn't take it. Not if it was like this.

"NO! DADDY!" Seth's scream had brought Lucy out of hiding. "NO NO NO!" She was on the bed now, her little arms going around Dean's neck. "NOT MY DADDY!"

"GET OFF!" Dean snarled and twisted around wildly.

"NOT MY DADDY!"

Another snarl and suddenly Lucy was airborne. She flew until she hit the toy chest, her scream of pain bringing some life back into Seth. He swung his fits wildly, looking to do ANY damage he possibly could. But his hits were too weak. Dean's hands wrapped around his throat and squeezed tightly. He reached up, trying to dig his fingers into his eyes. Anything to make him loosen up. But Dean's grip stayed strong. This was it. This was it. He was fucking done and his hands fell to his sides. There was nothing he could do. His vision started to fade away. His thoughts turned to Roman and Lucy. His last thoughts...

And suddenly Dean's grip went slack. Seth felt his vision slowly come back. As the blackness cleared away, he saw Roman shove Dean off the bed. His own knife was being held in his good hand. His shoulder was still bleeding, but that wasn't stopping him now. Not with Seth dying on the bed. Not with Lucy sobbing and clutching her back in pain.

He brought the knife down again. And again. His wildness matched Dean's in an uncanny manner. Seth watched the knife each time it came up, too weak to sit up and actually watch Dean down on the floor. Lucy slapped a hand over her eyes, sobbing and screaming for Seth. He wanted to go to her. He wanted to hold her and tell her everything would be alright. Roman was saving them. But no words came from his mouth. Just a few incoherent sounds and then a whimper. It hurt too much to try to talk. Everything hurt still. The blood poured freely, and he swore that in that moment, he could even taste it. He turned his head to the side and let the blackness take him. He just needed a rest. Just a little rest and he would be okay.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Just wanted to give a quick thanks to everyone who read/reviewed/faved/followed. This story is at it's end, a more surprising straight forward affair than what I find myself dealing with when it comes to stories. Anyway, I hope you've all enjoyed it.

* * *

"Daddy! Daddy Daddy Daddy!"

Lucy's voice brought Roman out of the haze he had fallen in. He blinked, his eyes and mind needing a moment to process what was going on around him. Dean was down at his feet, still and covered in blood. There was no way he was alive. Not with how much blood there was everywhere. It was soaked into the floor, all over his clothes, all over Roman's clothes...even his hands and face as well. Dean had to be dead. Roman backed away from the body and looked to the bed. Lucy was over there now, furiously pounding her little fists against Seth's chest. Roman felt his breath catch in his throat. He could barely see Seth's chest rising and falling with the sign of breath.

"Seth!" The knife slipped out of his hand. Roman went to the bed, his hand immediately going to put pressure on Seth's wound. "Seth baby wake up." Panic fueled tears burned his eyes. Seth's blood mixed with Dean's, making a bigger mess of his hands. "SETH!" He shook his head frantically. "Lucy baby?" He used one hand to make her look at him. "Do you remember how I taught you to call 911?"

She nodded, sobbing too hard to verbally answer him.

"I need you to do that for me then." He gripped her face, wincing as he got blood on her. "I need you to get my phone from my room. Dial 911 and tell them that we need an ambulance. A bad man got into the house and hurt your daddy. He's alive but they need to hurry. Tell them to hurry."

Lucy nodded again. She was sobbing so hard her whole body shook. She did what he said though, running out of the room to get his phone. He turned his attention fully back to trying to tend to Seth's wound. He ripped off a part of his shirt to hold there, figuring that using just his hands wasn't helpful. "Come on baby." Seth was completely out of it. There was no way he was hearing him. He was speaking just to give himself something else to do. "Stay with me now." His voice sounded so strange to his own ears. "I need you to stay with me." He nodded as he talked. "Stay with me. Baby please stay with me." He cast a look down to Dean's body. The bastard still hadn't moved. He seemed to be really dead.

"I got him baby." Roman leaned forward and kissed Seth's forehead. "I did it baby. I really did." His voice cracked as he spoke. "I know I didn't stop him from hurting you." The tears that burned his eyes before now fell. "I'm sorry. He got me more than I thought he would." He tried to shake the tears away. "But he's dead. I did get him. Just don't die with him okay?" He started kissing all over Seth's face. "You don't have to go with him." He brushed the tip of his nose against Seth's. "You can live in a world without him. You don't ever have to worry about him ever again. You just have to hold on okay? Can you hold on for me baby?"

Seth didn't answer of course. He didn't so much as twitch. Roman had to check his pulse to make sure he was even alive. There was a moment where he didn't feel any sign of life. It was a moment of sheer, unadulterated panic. He checked again and nearly sobbed in relief. It was there. It was weak, but it was there. "Just hang on for me baby." He could hear the sirens in the distance now. "Help's coming. We're going to make you better okay? Just hold on."

* * *

Ambulances and police cars swarmed the house. Seth was rushed to the hospital, with Roman being forced to take another one for his own injuries. Lucy rode with him, nobody wanting her to be alone with Seth in case he died en route. A police car followed behind them, the detectives wanting to get a statement as to what happened. The rest of the police stayed behind, swarming the car of their fallen brethren while taping off the house as a crime scene. Dean's body was examined in the room, the detectives there looking to piece together what they could the story of what happened. Afterwards they wheeled him out in a body bag, not letting the curious neighbors see the mangled body. Yet most put the pieces together and figured out who it was anyway. The word spread fast, everyone shocked and frightened that someone like Dean had been loose in their neighborhood. There was concern over the well being of Seth, Roman and Lucy. Shock over one of the cops biting the dust. And there was a huge sense of relief that he was dead and hadn't gotten any of them in his rampage.

Meanwhile, as the neighbors and cops stayed at the house, a terrified Lucy clung to Roman as he was tended to by the doctors. The only thing he allowed for the pain was a local anesthetic so they could stitch him up without him wanting to scream. Afterwards the detectives questioned both him and Lucy, though he was the only one who was any real help. The most they got out Of Lucy was that there was a bad man before she just started crying again. She just wanted Seth. She loved Roman dearly, but he wasn't Seth.

Seth was in surgery for what felt like an eternity. Roman sat in the waiting room, Lucy curled up on his lap. She eventually cried herself to sleep. Cody and Eden joined him about an hour and half into his wait. Eden offered to take her, but Roman wouldn't let her. As much as Lucy needed him, he needed to hold her just as much. She was his baby too. She was what he had of Seth right now. He couldn't let her go. He wouldn't.

The air felt like it had been sucked out of the room when the doctor finally approached them. Roman couldn't even stand to greet the man. His legs were too weak for that. "How is he?" he managed to ask. His grip on Lucy tightened. She woke up because of it, but he didn't even notice. "Is he...is he..I mean..."

"He's alive." Those were the two greatest words the doctor could have said. "He's not completely out of the woods yet. There was extensive internal damage, but we believe he'll make it."

Everything after the first two words just went right over Roman's head. Seth was alive. Dean had failed. He closed his eyes, not even hearing the other things Cody and Eden were talking to the doctor about. His body felt lighter than it had since Seth had told him Dean was running free. Seth was alive. Dean was dead. Seth was free. They were all free.

"Papa?" Lucy wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed tightly.

He opened his eyes so he could look down at her. "Yeah?"

"Is Daddy okay?" Big brown eyes looked up at him hopefully.

He smiled and nodded. "Yeah sweetie." He kissed the top of her head before standing up. Cody and Eden were motioning for him to get up and follow the doctor to go see him. "He's going to be just fine."

* * *

It was nearly two days before Seth fully woke up. He came in and out of consciousness before then, but he remembered none of that when he fully woke up. As he opened his eyes, he became very aware of the weight on him that came from both sides. After blinking to clear away the cobwebs, he took a look down. Lucy was to his right, fast asleep and curled up under his arm. Her head rested on his chest, her tiny fingers gripping his hospital gown tightly. Roman was on his left, his grey eyes watching him intently. They lit up as he woke, and before Seth could say a word, Roman's lips kissed his gently. What he had been about to say went flying away from his brain. He melted into the kiss, not stopping until he remembered why in the world he was here to begin with. Dean. Dean had gotten into the house. He had tried to attack Lucy. He had attacked Roman and then got him. He had gotten stabbed again, and then nearly strangled to death to boot. Where was he now though? Had he gotten away? Had he been captured again? Was he dead? He pulled away from the kiss. He had to know.

"He's dead." Roman answered before he could actually ask. He knew the question just from the look on Seth's face. "I killed him." He swallowed hard and gently moved a strand of hair out of Seth's eyes. "I failed in getting you out of this unscathed. I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry-"

Seth silenced him with a kiss. It was harder this time. Thankful. Joyous. Dean was dead. It didn't matter that he had gotten stabbed. Not to him anyway. He could deal with the scar and the pain and whatever. It wasn't like he hadn't before. But this time he didn't feel shattered like he had before. Not with the news of Dean being gone. Not with Lucy and Roman by his side, the both of them safe and sound. His chest felt light and his head was spinning. The nightmare was over for real this time. Ten years had led to this moment and he almost wanted to cry.

"I love you," Roman mumbled between kisses. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." A few more kisses and then Seth forced himself to stop. "How is she?" he asked as he tightened his grip on Lucy.

Roman grimaced. "Shaken. Scared to death that you really weren't going to wake up." He reached over and lightly ruffled her hair. "I don't think him trying to attack her got to her half as much as seeing what he did to you."

Seth bit his lip. His heart sank at the words. What if she became as messed up as he did now? Dean had ripped his life apart and turned everything upside down. What if this ruined her life before she really had a chance to start living it?

"I think once she sees you're okay it'll help." Roman pressed his forehead to his. "And you can understand and help her like nobody was able to for you."

"Until I found you." Seth traced his fingers over Roman's face. "You always understood."

"And we'll get her through this." Roman turned so he could kiss the palm of Seth's hand. "Together."

Seth nodded. He didn't do it because he wanted to believe. He did believe they could. It was Roman saying this. Roman always had a way of making things better. Roman had slayed the dragon so to speak, shattering the thing Seth's nightmares had been made of. He was the fucking knight in shining armor and Seth had to kiss him again. Tears sprung from his eyes this time. It was all just fucking over. He could really let it all go now. He felt Roman's thumbs rub under his eyes, trying to dry his tears. More only fell in their place. His heart was swimming from everything. Deep down he knew there would be more stress. There would be press all over not only him, but Roman and perhaps even Lucy too. Families had still been shattered yet again because Dean had struck. But he didn't let himself think of that. Didn't allow himself to take the blame. It wasn't his fault. Dean's actions had been his own. No matter how sick he had been, or how twisted or terrible his thoughts or actions had been, they hadn't been in Seth's control. They never had been. He couldn't hold that over himself. He couldn't give Dean the power of still having a hold over him. He had to let it go. He had to let it all go.

"Seth?"

"Hmmm?"

"Would you marry me?"

Seth blinked in surprise. That had not been what he had expected to hear next. "What?"

"Will you marry me?" Roman wiped away his remaining tears. "I know I don't got a ring. And this isn't really all that romantic. But I'll buy you whatever ring you want. I'll buy you all the rings in the world. I just know I can't lose you. Not now. Not ever."

Seth just stared at him, words lost on him for a few long moments. "Yeah," he finally said. "I'll marry you." Of course he said yes. He wouldn't have even thought to say no. Not to Roman.

"Does this mean I get to be the flower girl?"

Seth and Roman looked down. Lucy was awake, staring up at both of them with hopeful eyes. "Mommy let me be the flower girl at Aunt Bayley's wedding."

Roman smiled and poked the end of her nose. "You can be whatever you want princess."

"Can I have a baby sister too?"

Seth raised his eyebrows. "A baby sister?"

"I can't have a brother. Boys are gross." She stuck out a tongue and made an exaggerated disgusted noise as she did so.

Seth let out a chuckle. "We'll talk about that later." He kissed the top of her head. "You just rest."

She sighed and dropped her head back to his chest. She was out again within minutes, leaving Seth and Roman to snuggle together. The doctors would be in soon to poke and prod, but he didn't let himself think about that. For now, he wanted to bask in being safe, sound and at a true peace in mind that he hadn't been in for a long, long time.


End file.
